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Lib 



THE 



DIVIDE MAN 



FROM THE NATIVITY TO THE TEMPTATION" 



hy 



/ 



GEORGE DANA BOARDMAN 

AUTHOR OP 

'STUDIES IN THE CREATIVE -WEEK," "STUDIES IN THE MODEL PRAYER," "EPIPHANIES 

OF THE RISEN LORD," "STUDIES IN THE MOUNTAIN INSTRUCTION," ETC. 



Unto us a child is born, 

Uuto us a son is given ; 

And the government shall be upon his shoulder : 

And his name shall be called 

Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah ix, 6. 

'■> 188, 

f\ J 




NEW YORK 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 

1887 



3&% 



COPYKIGHT, 1887, 

Bt GEOEGE DANA BOAKDMAN. 




TO 

TIIE HOUSEHOLDS OF CHRISTENDOM 

THESE STUDIES IN THE PREPARATORY TEARS OF 

THE DIVINE MAN 

ARE OFFERED IN PRAISE OF HIS GRACE. 



EXPLANATORY NOTE. 



The Scriptural citations in this hook ar 
from the Revised Version. 



CONTENTS 



I. — The Prologue to the Gospel ... 9 
John i, 1-18. 

JL— The Preface to the Gospels ... 34 
Luke i, 1-4. 

III. — The Annunciation to Zachaeias . . 49 
Luke i, 5-25. 

IV. — The Annunciation to Mary . . .61 
Luke i, 26-38. 

V. — The Visit of Mart to Elisabeth . . 73 
Luke i, 39-56. 

VI. — The Birth and Training of John the 

Baptist 83 

Luke i, 57-80. 

VII. — The Annunciation to Joseph ... 93 
Matthew i, 18-25. 

VIII. — The Birth of Jesus Christ . . .107 
Luke ii, 1-7. 

IX.— The Two Genealogies of Jesus Christ . 121 
Matthew i, 1-17 ; Luke iii, 23-38. 

X. — The Annunciation to the Shepherds . 131 
Luke ii, 8-20. 



8 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

XI. — The Circumcision of Jesus Christ . . . 145 
Luke ii, 21. 

XII. — The Presentation of Jesus Christ . . 149 
Luke ii, 22-24. 

XIII. — The Homage of Simeon and Anna . . 155 
Luke ii, 25-39. 

XIV.— The Homage of the Wise Men . .169 
Matthew ii, 1-12. 

XV. — The Flight into Egypt . . . .187 
Matthew ii, 13-15. 

XVI. — The Massacre of the Innocents . . 195 

Matthew ii, 16-18. 

XVII. — The Settlement at Nazareth . . . 211 
Matthew ii, 19-23; Luke ii, 39. 

XVIIL— The Training of Jesus Christ . .217 

Luke ii, 40-52. 

XIX. — The Baptist's Heraldry .... 235 

Matthew iii, 1-12; Mark i, 1-8; 
Luke iii, 1-18. 

XX. — The Baptism of Jesus Christ . . . 249 

Matthew iii, 13-17; Mark i, 9-11; 
Luke iii, 21, 22. 

XXL— The Temptation of Jesus Christ . . 261 
Matthew iv, 1-11; Mark i, 12, 13; 
Luke iv, 1-13. 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 

Join* i, 1-18. 

Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come 
in the flesh is of God. 

1 John iv, 2. 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 

John i, 1-18. 

These first eighteen verses of St. John's Gos- Majesty of the 
pel are in depth and majesty peerless in all the r0 ogue " 
world's literature, peerless even in the Book of 
God himself. They take us into the very holy of 
holies in the sanctuary of Truth, ay, into the very 
heights of Godhood, into the very depths of God- 
hood in Manhood. In this prologue profoundest 
philosophy and loftiest poetry are divinely wedded. 
No wonder the early Church loved to speak of St. 
John as the eagle, soaring with tranquil pinion 
and undimmed eye toward the very sun. Listen 
to a mediseval poet, who had been evidently 
trained in the noble school of Adam of St. Yictor : 

The Word of God, the Eternal Son, De S. Joanne 

With God, the Uncreated, One, Evangelista. 

Came down to earth from heaven ; Translated by 

To see him, handle him, and show tre. 
His heavenly life to men below, 

To holy John was given. 

Among those four primeval streams 
Whose living fount in Eden gk 
John's record true is known: 



12 THE DIVINE MAX. 

To all the world he poureth forth 

The nectar pure of priceless worth 

That flows from out the throne. 

Beyond the heavens he soared, nor failed, 
With all the spirit's gaze unveiled, 

To see our true Sun's grace ; 
Not as through mists and visions dim, 
Beneath the wings of Seraphim 

He looked and saw God's face. 

He heard where songs and harps resound, 
And four and twenty elders round 

Sing hymns of praise and joy; 
The impress of the One in Three, 
With print so clear that all may see, 

He stamped on earth's alloy. 

As eagle winging loftiest flight 
Where never seer's or prophet's sight 

Had pierced the ethereal vast, 
Pure beyond human purity, 
He scanned, with still undazzled eye, 

The future and the past.* 

* Compare Dr. Washburn's translation of this stanza ; 
Bird of God with boundless flight 
Soaring far beyond the height 

Of the bard or prophet old ; 
Truth fulfilled, and truth to be — 
Never purer mystery 

Did a purer tongue unfold. 

Let me add the sonorous original : 
Volat avis sine meta 
Quo nee vates nee propheta 

Evolavit altius : 
Tarn implenda quam impleta, 
Nunquam vidit tot secreta 

Purus homo purius. 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 13 

The Bridegroom, clad in garments red, 
Seen, yet with might unfathomed, 

Home to his palace hies; 
Ezekiel's eagle to his bride 
He sends, and will no longer hide 

Heaven's deepest mysteries. 

O loved cne, bear, if thou canst tell 
Of him whom thou didst love so well, 

Glad tidings to the Bride ; 
Tell of the angels' food they taste, 
Who with the Bridegroom's presence graced 

Are resting at his side. 

Tell of the soul's true bread unpriced, 
Christ's supper, on the breast of Christ 

In wondrous rapture ta'en ; 
That we may sing before the throne 
His praises, whom as Lord we own, 

The Lamb we worship slain. 

In studying this profound prologue, every sen- 
tence of which is freighted with fathomless mean- 
ing, we can not do better than ponder it clause by 
clause. 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the The Eternal 
Word was with God, and the Word was God. mv ' mit J- 
The same was in the beginning with God." 

" In the "beginning." Then Jesus Christ was 
eternally pre-existent. Matthew's genealogy takes 
us back to Abraham : " The pedigree of Jesus Matt, i, i-ie. 
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." 
Luke's genealogy takes us back to Adam : " The Luke m, 23-33. 
son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, 
the son of God." John has no genealogy, or .rather 
his genealogy is the genealogy of what the fathers, 
in lack of a better name, called an " eternal gen- 



14 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Heb. vii, i-3. eration." Like Melchizedek, king of Salem, the 
Word of God is without father, without mother, 
without genealogy, having neither beginning of 
clays nor end of life. St. John's chronology ante- 
Genesis i, 1. dates creation itself. In the beginning God cre- 
ated the heaven and the earth ; in the beginning 
was (not became) the Word. St. John's Prologue 
is the real Book of Genesis. Before aught else 
existed, in the imbeginning solitude before crea- 
tion, Jesus Christ was the Word of God, the eter- 
nal Father's majestic soliloquy. 

"In the beginning was the Word." Then 
Jesus Christ was the Speech of God. It is most 
difficult, and indeed impossible, to give a complete 
translation of the term here rendered " Word," as 
the beloved disciple uses it 
lines of Goethe : 



How striking the 



Faust." Bay- 
ard Taylor's 
Translation. 



'Tis written: "In the beginning was the Word'''' : 

Here am I balked : who now can help afford ? 

The Word? — impossible so high to rate it; 

And otherwise must I translate it, 

If by the Spirit I am truly taught. 

Then thus : "In the beginning was the Thought'''' . 

This first line let me weigh completely, 

Lest my impatient pen proceed too fleetly. 

Is it the Thought which works, creates, indeed? 

"In the beginning was the Power,' 1 '' I read. 

Yet, as I write, a warning is suggested 

That I the sense may not have fairly tested. 

The Spirit aids me ; now I see the light ! 

"In the beginning was the Act" I write. 



But why does St. John call Jesus Christ the 
Word ? Without loitering among the subtilties of 
Philo and the Alexandrian school concerning the 



THE PEOLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 15 

Logos, enough that I say that John calls the Naza- 
rene the Word because the Nazarene is Deity in 
manifestation, in expression, in articulation. And 
for this designation of Jesus as the Word the Old 
Testament writers had prepared St. John. Such 
phrases as " God said," '" Thus saith Jehovah," 
" The word of Jehovah came," " The voice of Je- 
hovah," and the like, perpetually recur in the Old 
Testament. In fact, the whole revelation of God 
to patriarch, lawgiver, psalmist, and prophet, was 
recognized as God's Word. When therefore God, neb. i, t. 
who at sundry times and in divers manners had 
spoken in time past to the fathers by his prophets, 
now at the close of the old covenant spake to the 
world by his Son, it was perfectly natural that the 
Hebrew John, trained from his infancy in the an- 
cient Scriptures, should speak of that Son as being 
in the eminent, culminating sense of the term the 
Word. The God, who had been more or less 
clearly hinted at in the Old Testament, became 
distinctly articulate in Jesus the Kazarene. The 
Son of man is the Word of God. 

" And the Word 'was with GodP Then Jesus 
Christ was distinct from God : for whoever is with 
another is distinct from that other. Then again 
Jesus Christ was in unity with God, "throned 
face to face " with him. He was Deity's infinite, 
blessed Vis-a-vis. Existing in the form of God, pmi. ii, 6. 
he counted not the being on an equality with God 
a thing to be grasped. The Word was with God. 

"And the Word was God." Then Jesus Christ 
was absolutely Divine. Whatever doubts we may 
have about his Godhood, his apostle John had 



Agent. 



16 THE DIVINE MAN. 

none. This in fact is the reason why the early 
Church gave him the title of Theologian ; they 
called him Theologus, because he taught that the 
Logos was Theos,.the Word was God. John is pre- 
eminently the Theologian, because John is pre- 
eminently the Christologian. The Word was God. 

" The same was in the beginning with God." 
Then Jesus Christ, who eternally was and was 
with God and was God, was also eternally distinct 
from God and also eternally associate with God. 
It is the exceeding emphasis of solemn iteration 
and compact summary. The Same was in the be- 
ginning with God. 
The Creative " AH things were made through him, and with- 
out him was not anything made that hath been 
made." 

"AM things through him were made." Then 
Jesus Christ was the agent and instrument of the 
universal creation. In him were all things created, 
in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible 
and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions 
or principalities or powers ; all things have been 
created through him, and unto him ; and he is be- 
fore all things, and in him all things consist, that 
is, hold together. Thus the "God-Said" of the 
first chapter of Genesis is the " God- Word " of the 
first chapter of John. 

" And without him was not anything made 
that hath been made." Then Jesus Christ was the 
sole medium of the whole creation. Again it is 
the solemn emphasis of minute iteration. All 
things came into being through him, and apart 
from him not even one thing came into being. 



lumination. 
Verses 4, 5. 



TEE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 

" In him was life ; and the life was the light The Living II- 
of men. And the light shineth in the darkness 
and the darkness apprehended it not." 

" That which hath been made was life in him." 
Then Jesus Christ was not only the divine agent 
of the universal creation ; he was also the divine 
source, and basis, and means, and sphere, of all 
life ; life vegetable, life animal, life human, life 
angelic. Not only is he before all things : in him coi. \, 17. 
also all things consist, subsist, have their substance, 
hold together. That which hath come into being 
was life in him. 

11 And the life was the light of men." Then 
Jesus Christ is also the divine source, and basis, 
and means, and sphere of moral illumination. Do 
you say that John's connection of life and light is 
abrupt ? It is abrupt only in appearance. Gifted 
with profound insight, intuitively discerning the oc- 
cult, real connections of things, John's copulative 
conjunctions are more than merely connective : 
they are also organic. To his piercing vision, the 
Word in whom was life is the same as the Word 
in whom was light ; the God of creation the same 
as the God of redemption. To the disciple whom 
Jesus loved, the Word was the life of light and the 
light of life. That which hath come into being 
was life in him, and the life was the light of men. 

11 And the light in the darkness shineth" Then 
there is such a thing as moral darkness. Alas ! 
dark, indeed, is this poor fallen world of ours ; it 
is the land of darkness and the shadow of death ; Job x, 21, 22. 
the land of thick darkness as darkness itself, with- 
out any order, and where the light is as darkness. 



;L8 THE DIVINE MAN. 

But, thank God, the people that walked in dark- 
ness have seen a great light ; thej that dwelt in 
the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath 
the light shined. Yea, the same God, who in the 
beginning commanded light to shine out of dark- 
ness, now shineth in our hearts, to give the light 
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face 
of Jesus Christ. 

" And the darkness overcame it not." Then 
Jesus Christ will be victorious. A profound truth 
underlay the dualism of Zoroaster, according to 
which there are two deities struggling for the 
mastery of the universe : Ormuzd, God of Light ; 
and Ahriman, God of Night ; and Fate has decreed 
that Ormuzd shall conquer Ahriman. It was the 
pagan, instinctive groping after God aud his 
righteousness. As a matter of fact, light and 
darkness are inherently, constituently antagonis- 
tic ; but light is the stronger, and will conquer. 
The light in the darkness was shining ; and the 
darkness overcame it not. 

" There came a man, sent from God, whose 
name was John. The same came for witness, that 
he might hear witness of the light, that all might 
oelieve through him. He was not the light, out 
came that he might hear. witness of the light." 

Then John the Baptist was divinely com- 
missioned to be the prophetic witness of Jesus 
Christ. For it was not meet that the Word of 
God and the Light of men should come into the 
world unheralded. All the Old Testament, its 
system of oracle, ordinance, ritual, and prophecy, 
had foretold his coming. And the heraldic system 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 19 

culminated in John of the Desert. This was he 

of whom it had been written, Matt, si, 10. 

Behold, I send ray messenger before thy face, Malachi iii, 1. 

"Who shall prepare thy way before thee. 

This is why among them that are born of women Matt, xi, 11. 
there hath not arisen a greater than John the Bap- 
tist, And yet he was not the Light. True, he 
was in his own place and measure a burning and John v, 35. 
shining lamp ; and men were willing to rejoice 
for a season in his light. But he was only a lamp 
ignited ; he was not the igniting light.* He was 
a morning star ; he was not the sun of righteous- 
ness. 

" There was the true light, even the light The Progress- 
which lighteth every man, coming into the nation Umi " 
world." Verse 9 . 

" There teas the true light." Then Jesus 
Christ was the original, archetypal light. x\ll 
other lights, whether of Nature or of Scripture, 
are only derived, reflected lights. Jesus Christ, 
as the Word of God, is the primal, underived, 
archetypal, true light. And Jesus Christ is the 
true light, because Jesus Christ is the Word of 
God. 

" The true light, which lighteth every man, 
was coming into the world." Then Jesus Christ, 
the true light, is evermore coming into humanity. 
The Word existed before the birth at Bethlehem : 
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word, 
as the true light, is ever coming into the world. 



* Johannes lumen illuminatum : Christies lumens illuminans.— 
Augustine. 



20 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



The true Tight is ever shining in Nature : The in- 
visible things of him since the creation of the 
world are clearly seen, being perceived through 
the things that are made, even his everlasting 
power and divinity; so that. even heathen are 
without excuse. The true light is ever shining 
in Conscience : When Gentiles that have not the 
law do by nature the things of the law, these, not 
having the law, are a law unto themselves ; in that 
they shew the work of the law written in their 
hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, 
and their thoughts accusing or else excusing them 
one with another. Yes, it is sublimely true that 



The Tragic Re- 
jection. 
Verses 10, 11. 



Rom. i, 80-23. 



beginning was and was with God, and was God, 
is Deity in eternal advent. The true light, which 
lighteth every man, was coming into the world. 

" He was in the world, and the world was 
made through him, and the world knew him not. 
He came unto his own, and they that were his 
own received him not." 

" He teas in the world." Then Jesus Christ 
is the light of the world as well as the light of 
the church. The true light, as we have seen, is 
ever shining in nature and in conscience. " And 
the world was made through him." Then those 
who live in the world owe Jesus Christ, the eter- 
nal Word and the true light, grateful loyalty. 
" And the world knew him not." Then the world 
was guilty of sacrilegious ingratitude to Jesus 
Christ. Although his eternal power and divinity 
were clearly seen through his works, yet they 
glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 21 

but became vain in their reasonings, and their 
senseless heart was darkened ; professing them- 
selves to be wise, they became fools, and changed 
the glory of the incorruptible God for the like- 
ness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, 
and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. He 
was in the world, and the world was made through 
him, and the world knew him not. " Unto his 
own Tie came" Then Jesus Christ condescended 
to become a Jew. When the Word was made 
flesh, he, as had been divinely covenanted, was 
born of the stock of Abraham ; so that the Jewish 
race was in the eminent sense his own possession 
and inheritance : Unto his own he came. " And 
they that were his own received him not." Then 
the Jews were guilty of a special sacrilege in re- 
jecting their own divine Countryman. It ivas his 
own Nazareth who rejected him ; it was his own 
Jerusalem who crucified him. He came unto his 
own home, and his own people accepted him not. 

" But as many as received him, to them gave The Heavenly 
he the right to become children of God, even to Rlght- , 

a 5 Verses 13, 13. 

them that believe on his name : which were born, 
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of 
the will of man, but of God." 

'■'-But as many as received him." Then Jesus 
Christ found welcomers in the world that hated 
him, even among the Jews that spurned him. 
Already in our apostle's day multitudes both of 
Jews and Gentiles joyously accepted the Naza- 
rene's sovereignty. "To them gave he the right to 
become children of God.'" Then Jesus Christ is 
the medium of the divine adoption. True, man, 



22 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Genesis i, 26. in virtue of liis very creation, as made in God's 
likeness, after God's image, is God's son. But lie 
has fallen, and lost the sense as well as the privi- 
leges of sonship. What he needs, then, is to have 
the sense and privileges of sonship restored to 

John iii, 3. him : .to be, as it were, born over again, born from 
above. And the Word of God is the secret of this 
regeneration : To as many as receive him he gives 
the right to become God's children. " Even to 
them that believe in his name." Then none but 
those who accept Jesus Christ as the Word of God 
will Jesus Christ, God's Word, empower to be- 

Acts iv, i2. come God's children. There is no other name 
under heaven, that is given among men, wherein 
we must be saved. " Who were begotten, not of 
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will 
of man, but of God." Then this second birth, 
this recovery of the sense of divine sonship, is no 
wise possible in the plane of nature. No ances- 
tral piety or birth of blood, no outward rite or birth 
of the will of the flesh, no personal resolve or birth 
of the will of man, can make us children of God. 
None but the Word of God himself, in whom is 
the life and who is the true light of men, can give 
the power and the right to those who believe in 
his name to attain the divine sonship. As many 
as received him, to these gave he the right to be- 
come God's children, even to them that believe in 
his name ; who were born not of blood, nor of the 
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of 
God. 

The Divine In- " And the Word became flesh, and dwelt 
among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of 



carnation. 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 23 

the only-begotten from the Father), full of grace Verse 14 
and truth." 

"And the Word became flesh." Then the 
Divine Word became human. It is a profound 
statement, the corner-stone of Christianity, the 
turning-point in human eternity. Let us, then, 
ponder it most carefully. Observe, first, what it 
was that became flesh : it was the Word, that same 
Word who in the beginning was, and was with 
God, and was God. Observe, secondly, the verb 
which St. John uses. He does not say, "The 
Word was changed into flesh " ; he says, " The 
Word became flesh." When the eternal Word 
was born, he was not altered into flesh, and so 
ceased to be the Word ; he became flesh, and still 
continued to be the Word. Jesus Christ as the 
Word always was ; Jesus Christ as flesh became. 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word 
became flesh. And in the Word become flesh 3 
the Word and the flesh blended into one new per- 
sonality, the God-man. In him dwelleth all the coi. a, 9. 
fullness of the Godhead bodily, in body-fashion. 
Observe, thirdly, that in thus becoming flesh the 
Word became man under disabled conditions. 
For take precise note of the noun which St. John 
uses. He does not say, " The Word became 
man " ; he says, " The Word became flesh." And 
" flesh," according to a common scriptural usage, 
means man as under disabilities, human nature as 
frail and dependent and mortal. The Word not 
only became man, as Adam was before he fell: 
the Word became flesh, as Adam was after he fell. 
JSTot that the Word took into himself a sinful 



24 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Eom. viii, 3. manhood — perish the thought ! It was only in 
the likeness of sinful flesh that he became. Nev- 
ertheless, he did become flesh, and as such did 
become exposed to the unfortunate conditions, to 
# the trials and sorrows and perils and mishaps of a 

nature lapsed in Adam's fall. He took into him- 
self weakness without sinfulness, infirmity without 

Heb. iv, 15. guilt, possibility of fall without fall. Yerily, we 
have not a high priest who can not be touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who 
hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet 
without sin. What unspeakable comfort in this 
little clause, " The Word became flesh " ! 

"And dwelt [pitched his tejit, tabernacled'] 
among us." It is a reminiscence of the old wil- 
derness life. What the ancient tabernacle had 
been to the Jew, that the enfleshment of the 
Word was henceforth to be to the Church. The 
incarnation was the entempling of Deity in hu- 

john ii, 19-22. manity. Jesus said unto the Jews, " Destroy this 
temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The 
Jews answered, "Forty and six years was this 
temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in 
three days 1 " But he spake of the temple of his 
body. Accordingly, when he was raised from 
the dead, his disciples remembered that he had 
spoken this, and they believed the scripture and 
the word which Jesus had said. 

"And we beheld his glory." Again it is a 
reminiscence of the old wilderness lif e, even of 
the Shechinah which was wont to marshal the 
hosts of Israel, and gleam between the cherubim 
over the mercy-seat. St. John himself had literal- 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 25 

Ij beheld that glory : it was when the face of the 
Word made flesh shone as the sim on the Mount 
of Transfiguration. It is also for us to behold 
Christ's glory ; for the character of the Divine 
Man, what is it but the tree and everlasting 
Shechinah % 

" Glory as of the only begotten from the Fa- 
ther" An infinite mystery surely ! For to be 
begotten implies a beginning, an origin in time. 
But the Word, as we have seen, had existed eter- 
nally : In the beginning was the Word, and the 
Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
How then could the unbeginning Word be said to 
be begotten % The problem absorbed the thought 
of the early church, and so they talked of " eter- 
nal generation," an " eternal filiation," and the 
like, as though the Son and only begotten of the 
Father were eternally generated or filiated from 
the Father. Their mistake was, and we ourselves 
often fall into a like mistake when studying Scrip- 
ture, they interpreted a figure of speech as though 
it were a creed-statement, a parable as though it 
were a dogma. Whereas such phrases as repre- 
sent Jesus Christ as being the Son of God, or the 
only begotten from the Father, are not creed-for- 
mulas, to be taken literally or word- wise ; they are 
figures of speech, hinting in a colossal way such 
ineffable relations between God and the Word be- 
come flesh as can be best set forth in analogies 
drawn from human relations. The phrase before 
us, " The only begotten from the Father," is an 
august parable, divinely meant to suggest, in way 
of stupendous, nebulous hint, the unutterable con- 



26 THE DIVINE MAN. 

substantialness and fellowship) of God and Christ, 
the infinite intercommunion of the eternal God 
and the eternal Word. We beheld his glory, 
glory as of an only begotten from the Father, 
even the glory which he had with the Father be- 
fore the world was. Whatever glory infinite Deity 
had — whether as being tin create, or eternal, or 
omnipresent, or omniscient, or omnipotent, or in- 
finitely true, or infinitely righteous, or infinitely 
gracious, or infinitely blessed — all this infinite 
glory also belonged to the Word made flesh. We 
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begot- 
ten from the Father. 

"Full of grace and truth.'''' Then Jesus Christ 
is the personal plenitude of the 'divine mercies, 
he is full of grace ; and also of the eternal reali- 
ties, he is full of truth. And this fullness of 
grace and truth comes to our apprehensions and 
to our hearts through the incarnation, or the en- 
fleshment of infinite Deity. In the Word made 
flesh dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead 
bodily. 

Thus the weightiest of truths is expressed in 
the briefest of phrases, " The Word became flesh." 
The August " John oeareth witness of him, and crieth, 
saying, This was he of whom I said, He that 
cometh after me is oecome oefore me : for he was 
hefore me" 

Then John the apostle does not stand alone in 
testifying to the Word made flesh. His memory 
goes back many a year to the Jordan, where the 
man who had been sent from God to be a witness 
to the true Light had also borne most solemn tes- 



Testimony 

Verse 15, 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 27 

timony to Jesus the Nazarene as the pre-existent 
Word. John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and joim i, so, so. 
saith : " Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh 
away the sin of the world ! This is he of whom 
I said, After me cometh a man which is become 
before me : for he was before me." John's suc- 
cessor was really John's predecessor. Before John 
was born, the Word was. Before Abraham be- John vm, 58. 
came, Jesus Christ is. 

" For of his fullness we all received, and grace The Gracious 
for grace." Fullriess - 

° , Verse 16. 

"Of his fullness." Then Jesus Christ is in- 
exhaustibly full. He is the plenitude of the Divine 
attributes, the totality of the Divine perfections. 
For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in coi. i, 19. 
him should all the fullness dwell. " Out of that 
fullness we all received, even grac6for grace, grace 
after grace, grace upon grace." The fullness of 
the Word made flesh is the true tree of life, ever- 
more fruitful, evermore yielding new kinds of 
fruit. 

" For the law was given through Hoses ; grace The Majestic 
and truth came through Jesus Christ." Superiority. 

It is a triple contrast. First, Moses, although 
so great, was only a servant ; but Jesus is a son : 
Moses, indeed, was faithful in all God's house as a Heb. hi, 1-6. 
servant, for a testimony of those things which 
were afterward to be spoken ; but Jesus was faith- 
ful as a son over God's house, whose house are 
we, if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying 
of our hope firm unto the end. Again, the law 
which came through Moses was a condemning, 
slaying power ; but the grace which came through 



28 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



The Compe- 
tent Inter- 
preter. 

Verse 18. 



Exc. xxxiii, 20. 



1 Tim. vi, 15, 16. 



Jesus Christ is an acquitting, life-giving power : 
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made 
me free from the law of sin and of death. Once 
more, the law which was given through Moses 
was but a shadow of the good things to come ; 
whereas the truth which came through Jesus 
Christ is the essential, abiding reality itself : 
Christ is the end (goal, consummation) of the law 
unto righteousness to every one that belie veth. 
The law through Moses was given ; the grace and 
the truth through Jesus Christ came. 

" ~No man hath seen God at any time ; the only 
begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, 
he hath declared him." 

"God no one hath ever seen" For infinite God 
must, it would seem, because infinite, be for ever 
incommunicable with finite man. Jehovah said 
unto Moses, " Thou canst not see my face : for 
man shall not see me and live." The blessed and 
only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of 
lords ; who only hath immortality, dwelling in 
light unapproachable ; whom no man hath seen, 
nor can see : to whom be honor and power eter- 
nal. Amen. "The only begotten Son, who is in 
the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [inter- 
preted, made exegesis of~\ him" Then Jesus 



John xiv, 8, 9. 



finite as the "Word become flesh, is able to mediate, 
and does mediate, between the infinite and the 
finite. The "Word made flesh is infinite God in 
gracious communication with finite man. He is 
the loving manifestation of Deity absolute. Philip 
saith unto Jesus, "Lord, shew us the Father, and 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 29 

it sufjficeth us." Jesus saitli unto Philip, " Have 
I been so long time with you, and dost thou not 
know me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath seen 
the Father ; how say est thou, Shew us the Father? " 
Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible coi. i, is. 
God, the effulgence of his glory, the very image Heb. i, 3. 
of his substance. The Word made flesh is Deity 
in exposition. And for this service of expound- 
ing or revealing Deity, the Word had been per- 
fectly qualified. For no one can be truly inter- 
preted except by his intimate. And Jesus Christ 
was the eternal Father's bosom companion. The 
Word was with God, and therefore could interpret 
him. God no one hath ever seen ; the only be- 
gotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, he 
hath declared him. Jesus Christ is Deity in enun- 
ciation. He is the Word of God. 

Such is the apostle John's prologue to his evan- 
gel of the Divine Man. 

Eeviewing this majestic prologue as a whole, 
we can not fail to be struck with certain points. 

First, The Word made flesh is the mystery of The Word 
mysteries. Listen to the great Augustine : " God ; ™q\ ^te? 
what more glorious? Flesh; wdiat more vile? of Myster- 
God in flesh ; what more wondrous ? " * This in 
fact is the reason why so many persons reject the 
story of the Miraculous Conception. But let us 
be fair. The Word made flesh is not the only in- 
comprehensible mystery. Take, for example, one 
at our very doors, confronting us every moment 
of our lives — the mystery of the union of mind and 

* Deus ; qv.id gloriosius ? Caro ; quid villus ? Deus in came ; 
quid mirabilius ? 



les. 



30 THE DIVINE MAN. 

matter. Think for a moment how utterly differ- 
ent these two things are. The mind is spirit ; the 
body is matter ; between the two there is nothing 
in common ; spirit and matter, so far as we know, 
are absolute antitheses. In fact, to talk of the 
union of spirit and body is, as the skeptic says 
of the Word made flesh, " a contradiction in 
terms." Nevertheless the skeptic believes it, ab- 
surd and a priori impossible though it is. He 
does not deny the union of soul and body on 
the ground that he can not understand it. If 

John m, is. he can not understand earthly things and yet 
believes them, why then does he disbelieve heav- 
enly things on the ground that he can not under- 
stand them % 

The Word Secondly, The Word made flesh is in the emi- 
the Prophet nen * sense the Prophet of God, interpreting God 
of God. to man. As we have seen, he had always been in 
the world. Tie had spoken in creation, in provi- 
dence, in conscience. He had spoken especially 
to the Jew, uttering himself in law and prophet. 
But his utterances, compared with those which 
were to come, had been dim and vague. At 
length he made himself distinctly articulate in and 

Heb. i, i. by his own incarnation. God, having of old time 

spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers 
portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of 
these days spoken unto us in his Son. The Word, 
by becoming flesh, became by that very act, and 
in the pre-eminent sense, The Word of God, God's 
very Prophet, speaking to us for God, interpreting 
God to us. Yes, the Divine Man is God in self- 
disclosure. 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 31 

Thirdly, The Word made flesh, is also the The Word 
Prophet of man, interpreting man to himself. the Prophet 
We know not what giant faculties of moral power of Man. 
lie within ns, what capacities of seraphic aspira- 
tion, nntil Jesus Christ speaks to us. We need to 
be touched by a God-man in order to have aroused 
what in us is Godlike and God ward. We need to 
have the Divine Word prophesy to us, to inter- 
pret God to us ; and we need to have the Divine 
Word made flesh prophesy in us, to interpret us to 
ourselves. And so Jehovah our God, as he prom- Dent, xviii, 15- 
ised Moses, has raised up unto us from among his Acts m, 22, 23. 
brethren a prophet like unto ourselves, born of 
God and born of man : unto him, then, let us all 
give heed in all things, lest our souls also be de- 
stroyed. 

Fourthly, The Word made flesh answers that The Word 
instinct of perfection of which all of us are more *? ade jl esl ] 
or less conscious, and which is an original, inalien- Man. 
able part of our nature. We instinctively con- 
ceive, and in our golden moments long to behold, 
a perfect Character, or ideal Man. Hence the 
tendency common to all nations to conceive either 
a Divine Man, or a human God ; either, with the 
Greek, to believe in the deification of man, as, for 
example, Hercules ; or, with the Hindu, in the in- 
carnation of God, as, for example, Vishnu. These 
and such as these are but attempts to realize the 
vague and mighty yearnings of humanity's heart 
for a Perfect Man. And the Word made flesh 
fulfills that sublime yearning. Jesus Christ, the 
God-man, is the perfected Character, Ehomme d 
venir, the ideal Man, the embodiment and sum- 



32 THE DIVINE MAN. 

total of perfected humanity, the symbol and repre- 
sentative of fulfilled human nature, The Son of 

coi. ii, 9, 10. Man. As in him dwelleth all the fullness of the 
Godhead bodily, so in him dwelleth all the full- 
ness of an unfolded, perfected, fulfilled humanity. 

coi. i, 28. Perfect in Jesus Christ. 

The Word Fifthly, The Word made flesh is the pivotal 
Sfpiv^of trutn of Christianity. Everything of the Chris- 
Christianity, tian religion depends on the truth of the story of 
Bethlehem. If he who was born there was not 
really God, then the religion he set up is but a 
human religion, and our hopes of a. manhood per- 
fected in a Divine Man are quenched. If he who 
was born there was not really man, but only phan- 
tom flesh, then the religion he set up is a deceitful 
religion, leaving to us — it may be — nothing but a 
phantom God. Therefore, I say that Christianity 
from center to circumference is balanced on the 
pivot of the Divine Nativity. Revelation, media- 
tion, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, return 
— all revolve around Bethlehem's manger. What 
is the resurrection of Jesus Christ himself but the 
resurrection of an embodied God, the Word made 
flesh? 

The Word Lastly, Belief in the incarnation or enfleshment 
lhe d TeS e S of the eternal Word is the appointed test of Chris- 
Christianity, tianity : " Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus 

i John iv, s. Christ is come in the flesh is of God." That is to 
say : Every one who believes that the Babe of 
Bethlehem was really God and really man — that 
the Word, who in the beginning was and was with 
God and was God, really became flesh — every one 
who really believes and really acts out the belief 



THE PROLOGUE TO THE GOSPEL. 33 

that Jesus Christ was really God-man, is born of 
God. Hold fast then, O friend, to the Godhood 
of Jesus Christ as the Word who in the beginning 
was : hold fast to the manhood of Jesus Christ as 
the Word made flesh. Adore the God in the man 
— the humanized God : cling to the Man in the 
God — the divinized Man. 

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away Collect, 
the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of 
light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which Thy Son 
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility ; that in the 
last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty 
to judge both the quick and dead, we may rise to the life 
immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with theo 
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. 



THE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 

Luke i, 1-4. 

We have not followed cunningly devised fables. 

2 Peter i, 16. 



II. 

THE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 

Luke i, 1-4. 

" Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to Luke i, 1-4. 
draw up a narrative concerning those matters 
which have been fulfilled among us, even as they 
delivered them, unto us, loho from the heginning 
were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it 
seemed good to me also, having traced the course 
of all things accurately from the first, to write 
unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus ; 
that thou ynightest know the certainty concerning 
the things wherein thou wast instructed '." 

Such are the words with which the Evangelist 
Luke introduces his story of the Divine Man. It 
reminds us of his preface to his story of the 
Primitive Church : " The former treatise I made, Acts i, 1, 2. 
O Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus "began 
both to do and to teach, until the day in which 
he was received up, after that he had given 
commandment through the Holy Spirit unto the 
apostles whom he had chosen." In fact, the story 
of the Apostolic Church is but a continuation of 
the story of Jesus Christ himself : for Jesus Christ 



38 THE DIVINE MAN. 

and they who are his are one. Well then might 
the Evangelist who had written for the excellent 
Theophilus, Friend of God, the story of all that 
Jesus both did and taught from the beginning till 
the clay he was taken up, write for the same ex- 
cellent Theophilns the story of what Jesus' apos- 
tles did ; for the apostolic church was but the 

John xii, 24. unfolding of the kernel of wheat which had fallen 
into the ground and died. The seed of the king- 
dom is Jesus Christ, even the Word made flesh ; 

Eph. i, 23. the harvest of that seed is the church, the fullness 

of him who fiileth all in all. 

Many Primi- From this preface to St. Luke's Gospel we 
pels " ° S " l eani ) fi rs ^ that there were already existing in the 
Evangelist's day many " gospels " : " Forasmuch 
as. many have undertaken to draw up a consecu- 
tive account concerning those matters which have 
oeen fully established among us." 

Christianity has ever been the grand inspirer 
of Christendom's literature. Probably more has 
been written about Jesus Christ, his character and 
teaching and work, than about all other things 
put together. For it is not in religious books 
alone that we see the signs of his presence and 
sway. We can scarcely take up a volume on any 
grave subject — ethical, philosophical, historic, bio- 
graphic, aesthetic — without ever and anon catching 
at least glimpses of the passing shadow of the Son 
of Mary. The unconscious tributes of literature 
to Jesus the Nazarene are surprisingly many and 

Matt, xxviii, 20. emphatic. He is in very truth the perpetual Pres- 

Psaim xix, 3, 4. ence, his line going out through all the earth, and 
his words to the end of the world ; there is no 



THE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 39 

speech nor language where his voice is not heard. 
If, then, even amid the materialistic din of our 
nineteenth century, nothing so moves the hearts 
and pens of men as the career and character of 
Jesus Christ, we can easily believe that this inspi- 
ration must have been still more powerful in the 
century of Christ's contemporaries. Among the 
multitudes who witnessed his wondrous deeds and 
listened to his matchless sayings and felt the im- 
press of his incomparable character, there must 
have been not a few who would make memoranda 
of what they had seen and heard and felt. The 
impulse to do this would be all the stronger, inas- 
much as it was before the age of printing-press 
and publishing apparatus. We need not be sur- 
prised, then, that as time sped on and the number 
of Christ's contemporaries grew smaller, many of 
his survivors became his biographers. For so our 
Preface declares : " Many have taken in hand to 
draw up a narrative concerning those matters 
which have been fulfilled among us." And thus, 
although he who spake as never man spake does John vii, 46. 
not seem to have written a single word, yet many 
who did know him, either personally or indirectly 
through his apostles, committed to writing remi- 
niscences of his words and ways ; and so there 
arose in the apostolic era numerous " gospels." 
And, observe, our Evangelist does not censure 
these attempts at biography. He does not hint 
that these memorabilia are to be rejected. For 
aught we know, some of these sketches were as 
truly inspired as the Gospel of St. Luke himself. 
What though they have not come down to us % 



Gospels 



40 THE DIVINE MAN. 

There is reason for believing that some scriptures, 
icor. v,9. for instance, a letter of St. Paul to the Corinthi- 
ans, have been lost. But this does not detract 
from the worth of those we do have. That these 
primitive memoirs of Jesus Christ, in addition to 
those by Matthew and Mark and Luke and John, 
have hot come down to us may be occasion for re- 
gret ; certainly it is not occasion for complaint. 
Eternity will not exhaust what Memoirs of the 
Divine Man we do have. 
Source of the From this Preface to St. Luke's Gospel, we 
learn, secondly, the Source of the Gospels : " Even 
as they delivered them, unto us, who from the he- 
ginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the 
word." 

These early memoirs or primitive Gospels to 
which our Evangelist alludes were evidently writ- 
ten by those who had not been personally ac- 
quainted with the Prophet of Nazareth. Never- 
theless, their source of information was accurate ; 
for it was the apostolic tradition or oral testimony 
of those who had been eyewitnesses, and servants 
of the word, all the time that the Lord Jesus had 
gone in and gone out. among them, from the days 
of John the Baptizer unto the day he was taken 
up from them. Two of the four Gospels which 
have come down to us — Matthew's and John's— 
were written by apostles. The two others — Mark's 
and Luke's— were written by evangelists, gather- 
ing their materials directly from apostles. Thus 
Luke, the writer of our Preface, like the many 
others who had undertaken to write a connected 
account of what Jesus Christ had said and done. 



THE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 41 

distinct! j bases his narrative on the apostolic testi- 
mony or tradition : " Even as those handed them 
down to us who from the beginning were eyewit- 
nesses and servants of the word." The source 
and basis, then, of these primitive Gospels was the 
contemporaneous oral Gospel or Tradition of the 
original apostles. Need I add that it is still the 
only kind of Tradition which the Church is at lib- 
erty to accept as the authorized Gospel and Doc- 
trine of Jesus Christ ? 

From this Preface to St. Luke's Gospel, we inspiration 
learn, thirdly, that inspiration is compatible with wi&^Free' 
free-will : " It seemed good to one also to write will. 
unto thee in order, most excellent TheojphilxisP 

According to the judgment of the early 
Church, by which judgment the Church has ever 
since stood, the Gospel according to St. Luke was 
acknowledged to be a constituent part of the in- 
spired canon. Yet there is no evidence to show 
that Luke felt laid on him a resistless necessity to 
write his Gospel, or that in writing it he was con- 
scious of any special, overmastering inspiration. 
Others had undertaken to arrange a narrative of 
the Christian Facts ; and it seemed good to Luke 
also to undertake the same. So far as his own 
consciousness was concerned, he seems to have set 
himself to his task spontaneously, and arranged 
his narrative as seemed to him best. Yet the 
judgment of the Christian sense from the begin- 
ning has been that in thus composing his recital 
he was Divinely inspired. 

These facts cast light on the doctrine of In- 
spiration. They show that one may be inspired, 



42 THE DIVINE MAN. 

and yet act with entire freeness. The sacred writ- 
ers have often been compared to JEolian harps, 
played on by the Holy Spirit or divine Breath of 
God. The comparison is beautiful and just, so far 
as it goes. But it does not cover the whole truth ; 
it fails to recognize the human element in inspira- 
tion. But let the sacred writers be compared to 
different musical instruments, for example, a flute, 
a cornet, a trumpet, an organ, etc., played on, in- 
deed, by one and the same divine Breath, but giving 
forth different melodies, according to the character 
of each distinct instrument ; and the comparison 
becomes more complete and just. The source of 
the melody is Divine, and common to them all ; 
the character of the melody is human, varying ac- 
cording to the temperament and peculiarity of the 
writer. In brief, the thoughts are Divine, the 
words are human. And this it is which gives to 
each Gospel of the canon its peculiarity. Each 
writer wrote according to his idiosyncrasy, as seemed 
to him good. And this it is which gives to us one 
and the same Gospel — the Gospel of Jesus Christ ; 
and also different gospels— a gospel according to 
Matthew ; a gospel according to Mark ; a gospel 
according to Luke; a gospel according to John. 
Each of them doubtless said, " It seemed good to 
me also to write a life of Jesus Christ." But we 
shall recur to this point. 
Qualifications Erom this preface to St. Luke's Gospel we 

learn, fourthly, that our evangelist was qualified 
to write a gospel : "Having traced the course of 
all things accurately from the first." 
An educated, 



of Luke. 



THE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 43 

of apostles, perhaps the brother whose praise in 2 cor. vm, is. 
the Gospel was spread through all the churches, 
St. Luke the Evangelist was in a condition to 
know the facts of the Christ's career. His habits 
of observation as a physician would naturally lead coi. iv, 14. 
him to scrutinize closely all alleged facts. He at 
least would know whether the church of his day 
was following cunningly devised myths. He had 2 Peter i, 16. 
a reputation for honesty, and he puts his own per- 
sonal veracity into the issue. He himself assures 
us that his first step fn preparing his narrative was 
to trace down from the beginning everything ac- 
curately. In short, he exercised the " critical 
faculty." He was a rationalist in the true sense 
of that noble but prostituted word, proving all 1 ^ hess - v ' 21 > 
things, holding fast that which is good, throwing 
away that which is bad. Thus was he qualified to 
write an intelligent, credible narrative of the great 
Christian facts. 

From this preface to St. Luke's Gospel we Luke's Pur- 
learn, fifthly, our evangelist's purpose in writing: posemWnt- 
" That thou mightest know the certainty concern- 
ing the things wherein thou wast instructed." 

Doubtless a good deal of misapprehension 
touching the facts of Christ's career was already 
prevalent. These facts were so transcendent that 
they might be easily misunderstood, and, in pass- 
ing from mouth to mouth in that age of tradition 
rather than of printed page, would naturally ac- 
cumulate unauthorized additions. These alien 
additions would sooner or later be seen to be dis- 
crepant with the apostolic statements, and so a sus- 
picion, especially under assaults by the enemies of 



inpr. 



44 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Christianity, might spring up touching the origi- 
nal statements themselves. Our evangelist seems 
to have had this possibility in view, and therefore, 
having personally and minutely investigated all 
the facts in the case, would assure his noble friend 
Theophilus ' of the absolute truthfulness of the 
apostolic traditions : so that he might, always be 
ready to give answer to every man who should 
ask him a reason concerning the hope that was in 
him. For knowledge of facts rather than theories 
was then, as it still is, the need of the times. And 
St. Luke undertook to meet the need : " Foras- 
much as many have taken in hand to arrange a 
narrative of the things which are fully believed 
among us, even as those handed them down to 
us who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and 
ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, 
having accurately traced down everything from 
the very first, to write to thee a connected ac- 
count, most noble Theophilus, in order that thou 
mayest thoroughly know the certainty of those 
statements in which thou hast been catechized." 

Such is the preface to the Gospel according to 
St. Luke. And as St. John's prologue may be 
taken as the prologue to the Gospel, so St. Luke's 
preface may be taken as the preface to the Gos- 
pels. 

And this suggests our first concluding thought : 
The advantage of having several Gospels. Of 
course, there might have been but one Gospel. 
But Providence has graciously preserved for us 
four Gospels. And herein is an immense advan- 
tage. First, the having several Gospels is a key 



TIIE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 45 

to the detection of imposture : where the testi- 
mony is false, it is perilous to multiply witnesses. 
Again, the having several Gospels helps us to 
understand better the myriad-sided Divine Man. 
His aspect changes with our point of vision, and 
the four evangelists give us four view-points. To 
speak in way of swift, rough characterization : 
Matthew's- Gospel is Hebrew, Messianic, the Gos- 
pel of fulfillment ; Mark's Gospel is dramatic, 
Petrine, the Gospel of action ; Luke's Gospel is 
catholic, Pauline, the Gospel of humanity ; John's 
Gospel is doctrinal, spiritual, the Gospel of Di- 
vinity. And yet the four Gospels are but one 
Gospel. Accordingly, the tropical fancy of the 
fathers took delight in comparing them to the 
four faces of the one cherub, to' the four sides 
of the one New Jerusalem, to the four rivers 
flowing from the one stream of Eden, etc. No- 
bly does Adam of St. Yictor, in the twelfth 
century, express the current view of the cherubic 
symbolism of the Gospels : 

See, for above the starry height, Adam of St. 

Beholding, with unclouded sight, Victor. 

The brightness of the sun, Dean E. II. 

Pinmptre's 
John doth, as eagle swift, appear, Translation. 

Still gazing on the vision clear 

Of Christ, the Eternal Son. 

To Mark belongs the lion's form, 
With voice loud-roaring as the storm, 

His risen Lord to own; 
Called by the Father from the grave, 
As victor crowned, and strong to save, 

We see him on his throne. 



4G THE DIVINE MAN. 

The face of man is Matthew's share, 
Who shows the Son of man doth bear 

Man's form with might divine, 
And tracks the line of high descent 
Through which the Word with flesh w r as blent, 

In David's kingly line. 

To Luke the ox belongs, for he, 
More clearly than the rest, doth see 

Christ as the victim slain ; 
Upon the cross, as altar true, 
The bleeding, spotless Lamb we view, 

And see all else is vain. 

So from their source in Paradise . 
The four mysterious rivers rise, 

And life to earth is given : 
On these four wheels and staves, behold, 
God and his ark are onward rolled, 

High above earth in heaven. 

Our Debt to But while we may smile at such fancies, it is 
^eHsts Eyan " n0 * fancifi,il to say that the four evangelists have 
given us four different portraits of one and the 
same Divine Man, presenting him from four 
points of vision, and so delineating him more viv- 
idly in his manifold perf ectness, making him more 
apprehensible to all classes, conditions, and tem- 
peraments of men, and to all ages of the world. 
This is the circumstance which makes it so profit- 
able for us to study the Gospels in synchronous 
lessons. The habit protects us from partial and 
unsymmetrieal views ; for the Gospels, like stones 
in mosaic, are mutually complemental. It is of 
immense benefit, therefore, to study them in light 
of one another ; for, like the trilingual inscription 



THE PREFACE TO THE GOSPELS. 47 

of the Rosetta Stone, the four Gospels interpret 
and confirm each other. 

Secondly, let us thank God that he prompted 
his servants to note down, so early in the Christian 
era, statements of the apostolic testimony ; for the 
rich result is that, instead of uncertain and fickle 
tradition, we have permanent contemporary rec- 
ords. And so the Gospels are the foundation of 
all that is to be believed concerning Jesus Christ. 
They are the true " apostolic constitutions " for 
Christendom ; Built upon the foundation of the Eph. a, 20-22, 
apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being 
the chief corner-stone. 

Lastly, be thou thyself a Theophilus, Friend Theophilus, 
of God ; and the Spirit will write a gospel to 
thee also. 

Almighty God, who oalledst Luke the Physician, whose Collect, 
praise is in the Gospel, to be an Evangelist, and Physician 
of the soul; May it please thee, that, by the wholesome 
medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the diseases 
of our souls may be healed ; through the merits of thy Son, 
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO 
ZACHARIAS. 

Luke i, 5-25. 

Whiles I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, 
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being 
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the 
evening oblation. 

Daniel is, 21. 



III. 

THE ANNUNCIATION TO ZACHARIAS. 

Luke i, 5-25. 

It was not meet that the Son of Clod should 
come into the world unheralded. Himself the 
Sun of Righteousness, it was fit that he should be 
harbingered by morning star. Let us, then, pon- 
der the annunciation of the coming of Immanuel's 
forerunner. 

Wretched indeed was the political plight of The Reverend 
the Hebrew people. Herod the Great, alien and oup e " 

Luke i 5-7 

pagan, had usurped the throne of David, and so 
the scepter had departed from Judah and the Genesis xiix, 10. 
ruler's staff from between his feet. But, although 
the political independence of Israel had been 
crushed, one venerable institution survived : it 
was the priesthood which, thirteen centuries be- 
fore, had been inaugurated under Aaron. Among 
the sacred personages who still inherited the pre- 
rogatives of the tribe of Levi and the house of 
Aaron was a venerable man whose name was 
Zacharias. And he was doubly honored ; for 
Elisabeth, his wife, was also of the daughters of 
Aaron. A reverend couple they were, worthy of 
their sacred descent, righteous before God, loyal 



52 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



The Sacred 
Service. 

Luke i. 8-10. 



Rev. viii, 3, 4. 



to the institutions and ritual of Moses, walking in 
all the commandments and ordinances of the God 
of their fathers blameless. But, exemplary as 
they were, a cloud overshadowed their household. 
The honor of being the parents of the long-prom- 
ised Messiah was the unique, sacred honor which 
every devout Hebrew couple coveted. And the 
sorrow of the saintly Zacharias was this : they 
were aged, and they were childless. 

The priestly service, from the time of David, 
had been divided into twenty-four courses, each 
course serving a week. Zacharias belonged to the 
eighth course, known as Abijah's. It came to 
pass that, while he was serving in the order of his 
course, the lot fell on him to go into the temple 
and bum the incense. An honorable service this 
was, and as solemn as honorable. The offering of 
incense seems to have been symbolic of the offer- 
ing of prayer : 

Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee; 
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 

When the Lamb had taken the scroll, the four 
living creatures and the twenty -four elders fell 
down before him, having each one a harp, and 
golden bowls full of incense, which are the pray- 
ers of the saints. Another angel came and stood 
over the altar, having a golden censer, and there 
was given unto him much incense, that he should 
add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the 
golden altar which was before the throne : and 
the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the 
saints, went up before God out of the angel's 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO ZACHARIAS. 53 

hand. It was this solemn service of burning the 
incense which had fallen by lot to Zacharias. 
And, while he was discharging his holy office in 
the sacred precincts, the whole multitude of de- 
vout worshipers was praying without. For not 
then had the veil of the temple been rent in twain, 
so that all the people could enter and worship each 
for himself. 

As the aged priest was discharging his office in The Glorious 
the solemn seclusion, there suddenly appeared to tion. UnCia 
him an angel of the Lord, standing on the right L uke i, 11-17. 
side of the altar of incense. Although apparitions 
of this hind had often occurred in earlier ages, no 
angel, so far as we are informed, had been seen 
for centuries. ]STo wonder Zacharias was terror- 
stricken. But the angel immediately soothed 
him : " Fear not, Zacharias ! Thy prayer of many 
a year has been heard, and is now about to be an- 
swered. Thy wife Elisabeth will bear thee a son, 
and thou shalt call his name John [that is, Jeho- 
vah's gracious gift]. Not only in thy household 
will there be joy and gladness, multitudes of 
others will also rejoice in consequence of his birth. 
For he will be great in Jehovah's sight, greater 
than all who have gone before him. Like the an- Jer. xxxv. 
cient Eechabite, like the still more ancient Naza- Num. vi. 
rite, he will be an ascetic, drinking neither wine 
nor strong drink. Like the great son of Hilkiah, 
he will be completely a consecrate, filled with the Jer. i, 5. 
Holy Spirit from his very birth. Mighty will be 
his success as a reformer, restoring many of the 
sons of Israel to the Lord God of their fathers. 
Yea, he is to be that great forerunner promised by 



54 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Mai. Hi, i ; iv, the last of the prophets, even the harbinger who 
is to go before Jehovah God in the spirit and 
power of Elijah, to prepare the way before the 
Son of the Highest, bringing back the hearts of the 
apostates to the religion of their forefathers, and 
so making ready for the Lord a prepared people." 

The Patri- But the angel's glorious announcement was too 
arch's In- mu dj f or our a g e( j priest. Pie could not forget 

Luke i is ^at he and his wife were far advanced in years, 

and, blameless Jew though he was, his faith could 
not soar into the supernatural. How different 
and nobler the faith of his ancestor Abraham 

Rom. iv, 18-22. under circumstances strikingly similar : "Who in 
hope believed against hope, to the end that he 
might become a father of many nations, according 

Gen. xv, 5. to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed 
be ; and, without being weakened in faith, he con- 
sidered his own body now as good as dead (he 
being about a hundred years old), and the deadness 
of Sarah's womb : yea, looking unto the promise 
of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but 
waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, 
and being fully assured that, what he had prom- 
ised, he was also able to perform ; wherefore also 
it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Ah ! 
this is what we in these modern times very espe- 
cially need — a revival of the Abrahamic, simple- 
hearted faith in God's supernatural power. No 

Luke xvii, 5. prayer befits us better than this, " Lord, increase 
our faith ! " 

The Patri- And now the angel discloses himself : "I am 
ishment Pun " GtaMelj that stand in the presence of God ; and I 

Luke i, 19-23. was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring unto 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO ZACHARIAS. 55 

th.ee these good tidings. And, behold, thou shalt 
be silent and not able to speak until the day that 
these things shall come to pass, because thou be- 
lievedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in 
their season." Ah, friends, if God were as strict 
to punish us for our distrust of his word as he was 
to punish Zacharias for his, how many of us also 
would he strike dumb ! Who knows but that 
some of the calamities which befall us are really 
punishments for our own unbelief? Meantime 
the people, ignorant of what had occurred in the 
holy place, were wondering why the priest tarried 
so long in the temple. And when at length he 
came out of the shrine, and they saw that he was 
speechless, making signs unto them, they per- 
ceived that something supernatural had happened 
to him. An impressive spectacle surely it must 
have been : the aged priest, instead of pronounc- 
ing the benediction which for so many centuries 
had been falling from the lips of the sons of 
Aaron — 

Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee ; Num. vi, 24-26. 

Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gra- 
cious unto thee ; 

Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give 
thee peace — 

only motions before them in helpless silence. 
Whether or not Zacharias explained to the won- 
dering multitudes in some way the cause of his 
sudden calamity, we are not told. We only know 
that, as soon as the days of his ministration as be- 
longing to Abij ah's course were fulfilled, he re- 
turned to his own home. 



56 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



The Modest 
Seclusion. 

Luke i, 24, 25. 



Ministration 
of Angels. 



And as the angel's menace was fulfilled, so 
was the angel's promise. After these days, Elisa- 
beth, his wife, conceived ; and she hid herself five 
months, saying, " Thus hath the Lord done unto 
me in the days wherein he looked upon me, to 
take away my reproach among men." It is a 
beautiful instance of matronly meekness, trust, 
and gratitude. 

Such is the story of Gabriel's prophecy of Im- 
manuel's harbinger. 

This incident of the annunciation to Zacharias 
is rich in lessons. I will mention but two. 

First, The ministration of angels. Nor can 
we do better here than simply to cite some script- 
ural instances. For example, it was through the 
ministry of angels that Ilagar was found in the 
wilderness, and promised the birth of Ishmael ; 
that Lot was delivered from the doom of Sodom ; 
that Isaac was rescued from Abraham's knife ; 
that Jacob's name was changed into Israel ; that 
Moses was commissioned to deliver his people ; 
that Israel was guided from the land of bondage 
into the land of promise; that the law was or- 
dained on Sinai ; that Balaam was arrested in his 
perverse way ; that Gideon was commissioned to 
deliver his countrymen from the Midianites ; that 
the birth of Samson was foretold ; that David was 
bidden to rear an altar unto Jehovah in the thresh- 
ing-floor of Oman the Jebusite ; that Elijah was 
fed under the broom-shrub ; that Shadrach and 
Meshach and Abednego were delivered out of the 
fiery furnace ; that the prophecy of the seventy 
weeks was made to Daniel ; that the birth of 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO ZACHARIAS. 5f 

John the Baptizer was foretold to Zacharias ; that 
the great annunciation was made to Mary; that 
the name Jesus was given to the Divine Babe ; 
that the advent of the Saviour was announced to 
the shepherds ; that the wise men and Joseph 
were warned against Herod ; that Jesus was min- 
istered unto at the close of the threefold tempta- 
tion and in Gethsemane ; that the great stone was 
rolled away from the door of the sepulchre ; that 
the ministering women were comforted with the 
evangel of the resurrection ; that the prison-doors 
of the apostles were opened ; that Philip was bid- 
den to go down from Jerusalem toward Gaza ; 
that Cornelius was directed to send for Peter ; 
that Peter was delivered out of prison ; that Paul 
was cheered in his shipwreck ; that John was 
vouchsafed glimpses of New Jerusalem. In fact, 
the Bible from beginning to end is radiant with 
angels. 

And as it w T as in the past, so it is to-day. Angels 
are still ministers of God, executing his will alike 
in the physical and in the spiritual world. Alas ! 
the Church, in her just recoil from the pretensions 
of spiritualism, and in her just recognition of 
sense-tests in the domain of physics, has too often 
been tempted into a practical denial of spirit-pow- 
ers, virtually saying with the ancient Sadducee Actsxxiii, & 
that there is no angel. Let her also beware lest, 
in denying that there are angels, she also, with the 
ancient Sadducee, denies that there is either resur- 
rection or spirit. What though we do not see 
angels ? It does not follow that, because they are 
invisible, they are therefore, according to our sci- 



58 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



John i, 51. 
Luke xv, 10. 

Luke xvi, 22. 
Heb. i, 14. 



entitle tests, unreal or inoperative. In fact, it is 
the invisible things which are the most real. Did 
any human being ever see the Holy Spirit ? Yet 
what Christian doubts his existence ? Were our 
spiritual eyes open, as were the eyes of Elisha's 
servant at Dothan, doubtless we also would see all 
around us horses and chariots of fire circling to 
protect us. I believe that angels wait on us as 
truly as they ever waited on Abraham, or Jacob, 
or Moses, or Elijah, or Mary, or Jesus himself. 
The mediaeval painters were fond of filling the 
background of the Infancy with countless angels ; 
the representation, though literally false, was mor- 
ally true. I believe that angels are still a part of 
Heaven's mediatorial economy ; still encamping 
round about them that fear Jehovah, and delivering 
them ; still ascending and descending upon the Son 
of man ; still rejoicing over every sinner that repent- 
eth ; still bearing the spirits of the redeemed into 
Abraham's bosom ; in brief, still ministering spirits, 
sent forth to minister unto the heirs of salvation. 



The Faerie 
Queene," 
Book ii, Canto 
viii. 



And is there care in heaven ? And is there love 
In heavenly spirits to these creatures base, 
That may compassion of their evils move ? 
There is : — else much more wretched were the case 
Of men than beasts. But, oh, th' exceeding grace 
Of Highest God that loves his creatures so, 
And all his works with mercy doth embrace, 
That blessed angels he sends to and fro, 
To serve to wicked man, to serve his wicked foe. 

How oft do they their silver bowers leave 
To come to succor us that succor want ! 
How oft do they with golden pinions cleave 
The flitting skies, like flying pursuivant, 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO ZACHARIAS. 59 

Against foul fiends to aid us militant ! 
They for us fight, they, watch and duly ward, 
And their bright squadrons round about us plant : 
And all for love and nothing for reward : 
Oh, why should Heavenly God to men have such regard! 

Most meet, then, it was that when the Divine 
Man, even he who was in the eminent sense the 
Angel of Jehovah, made his advent into the 
world, all other angels should with reverent glad- 
ness form his body-guard. And if angels, un- 
touched by sin, and therefore needing not his 
redemption, welcomed him to the humiliation of 
the manger, shall not sinful man, saved by the 
grace of his incarnation, join with angels in wel- 
coming him to the glorification of his return? 
For the time is coming when angels shall again 
serve as the visible ministers of God executing 
his purposes. As the first advent was ushered in 
by an " overture of angels," so shall be ushered in 
the second advent. The Son of man shall come Mark vm, 38. 
in his own glory, and in the glory of the Father, 
and in the glory of his holy angels. Then, in 
the harvest of the world, he will send forth his Matt, xm, 37-43. 
angel reapers ; and they shall sever the wicked 
from among the righteous, gathering out of his 
kingdom all them that do iniquity, and gathering 
together his elect from the four winds from one 
end of heaven to the other. Then shall be ful- 
filled in a sense which the Church has never yet 
witnessed the Divine Man's own saying at the be- 
ginning of his public ministry : " Verily, verily, John i, 51. 
I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, 
and the angels of God ascending and descending 



Matt, xsiv, 31. 



60 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Hours of Wor- 
ship Hours 
of Annun- 
ciation. 



Collect. 



upon the Son of man." God grant that every 
one of us may confess him before men, so that in 
the day of his return he also shall confess us be- 
fore the angels of God. 

Lastly : Hours of worship are hours of angels' 
annunciation. Not that we may ever expect in 
this- eon of the world to behold visions of angels ; 
for ours it is to have something better than to 
have glimpses of supernatural figures; ours it is 
to have the presence of the Holy Spirit himself. 
Nevertheless, the closet-shrine is in an eminent 
sense the meeting - place of God and man, the 
trysting-place of Bridegroom and bride. It is 
at the time of the offering of incense, even the 
hour of prayer, that we are the most likely to be 
caught up into paradise, and hear unspeakable 
words. Then, if ever, we shall hear the sum- 
mons : " Prepare thou the way of the Lord : for 
thou also art one of his harbingers." And when 
such summons comes to thee, oh, be not disobedi- 
ent to the heavenly vision. 

O everlasting God, who hast ordained and constituted 
the service of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Merci- 
fully grant, that as thy holy Angels always do thee service 
in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succor and de- 
fend us on earth: through Jesus Christ onr-Lord. Amen. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY. 

Luke i, 26-38. 

Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and 
shall call his name Immannel. 

Isaiah vii, 14. 



IY. 

THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY. 

Luke i, 26-38. 

It was not the first time that Gabriel, Strength The Angelic 
of God, had visited earth. Five and a half centu- Visitant, 
ries "before, as the prophet Daniel was praying, and D a n Li'viii, 9. 
confessing his sins and the sins of his people Israel, 
and presenting his supplication before Jehovah his 
God for the holy mountain of his God, even while 
he was speaking in prayer, the angel Gabriel, having 
been caused to fly swiftly, touched him about the 
time of the evening oblation, and announced to him 
the glorious advent of Prince Messiah. Centuries 
roll on. Men are born, grow old, die. Empires 
rise, flourish, decay, perish. But heaven knows no 
decay ; only immortal growth. In heaven is ever- 
lasting youthhood. Half a millennium after Ga- 
briel, Strength of God, had visited the Hebrew 
exile on the banks of the Ulai, and touched him 
at the time of the evening oblation, he descends 
to earth again as vital and radiant as ever, and on 
the same errand of Messianic annunciation. But 
he comes not now, as erst he had come to stately 
prophet in imperial Babylonia. He comes not, as 
he had come live months before to anointed priest Luke i, 5-25. 



nunciation 
Luke i, 28-38. 



64 THE DIVINE MAN. 

in holy Jerusalem. But he comes to a lowly, 
pure-hearted, saintly maiden, betrothed to a car- 
penter, in obscure Nazareth of scorned Galilee. 
He comes to her, it may be, as five hundred years 
before he had come to Daniel, at the time of the 
evening sacrifice. 
The Great An- " Hail ! " the Strength of God exclaims, "Thou 
that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee! " 
This angelic apparition, perhaps the only startling 
event which had ever occurred in her whole quiet 
life-time, the reverential greeting of a supernatural 
stranger to her, an obscure village maiden ; all this 
throws the gentle virgin into bewilderment : She 
is greatly troubled at the saying, and casts in her 
mind what manner of salutation this may be. 
And now the angel makes distinct annunciation : 
" Fear not, Mary : for thou hast found favor with 
God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy 
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his 
name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called 
the Son of the Most High : and the Lord God 
shall give unto him the throne of his father David : 
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
ever ; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." 
Thus the glorious hope of being the mother of the 
Coming One, which for nearly two millenniums 
had been inspiring Hebrew matrons, from Princess 
Sarah onward, and which had been awakened in 
Eden itself, is at last fulfilled, and the long-prom- 
ised, majestic boon is conferred on the betrothed 
of a village artificer. And not the least wonder- 
ful part of this annunciation is that it is made to 
one who is unwedded. Mary herself feels it to be 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY. 65 

so, and in chastest surprise exclaims, "How can 
this be, seeing I am a virgin?" This exquisite 
touch of heavenly simplicity is more really a 
coronation of Mary than all the elaborated honors 
of the Komish virgin worship. And now follows 
a saying of divinest mystery : The angel answered 
and said unto her, " The Holy Ghost shall come 
upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall 
overshadow thee : wherefore also the holy thing 
which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." 
And now behold a picture of sublimest trustful- 
ness. Remembering how much this prophecy of 
the overshadowing Spirit involves, what tragical 
condition on Mary's part, what exposure to mis- 
understanding and dark insinuation, what loss in 
eyes of men of that honor dearer to woman than 
life itself — remembering all this, how sublimely 
trustful the virgin's answer : " Behold, the hand- 
maid of the Lord ; be it unto me according to thy 
w T ord ! " I do not think that there is in all history 
a lowliness so celestial, a trust so nearly infinite. 

Such is the story of the annunciation to 
Mary. The scene itself has been made the theme 
of numerous pictures, some of them among the 
highest triumphs of Christian art. JNTor need we 
wonder at it; for there is not a more exquisite 
scene in sacred story. And now let us seize on 
some of its salient features, and ponder the lessons 
they teach. 

And, first, survey the character of Mary as in- Character 
dicated in the story of the annunciation. 

" Hail, thou that art highly graced ! 
The Lord is with thee ! " 



Mary. 



66 THE DIVINE MAN. 

It is, indeed, an Ave Ifaria, the only true 
Ave Maria of the church of Scripture. What a 
contrast to the false Ave Maria, the Ave Maria of 
the church of tradition : " Hail, Mary, full of 
grace ; the Lord is with thee ! Blessed art thou 
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy 
womb, Jesus ! Holy Mary, mother of God, pray 
for us sinners, now, and in the hour of death. 
Amen." Still, more idolatrous is the blasphemous 
adoration of Bonaventura's Psalter : " "We praise 
thee, mother of God ! . . . All the earth doth 
worship thee, the spouse of the eternal Father! 
All the angels and archangels, all thrones and 
powers, do faithfully serve thee. To thee all an- 
gels cry aloud, with a never ceasing voice, Holy, 
Holy, Holy Mary, mother of God! . . . The 
whole court of heaven doth honor thee as queen. 
Thou sittest with thy Son on the right hand of the 
Father. ... In thee, sweet Mary, is our hope ; 
defend us evermore ! Praise becometh thee ! 
Empire becometh thee ! Virtue and glory be 
unto thee for ever and ever ! " But the nadir of 
blasphemy was not reached till December 8, 1854, 
when Pio Nono from his pontifical throne in St. 
Peter's announced the dogma of the Immaculate 
Conception, that is, the dogma that the Yirgin 
Mary herself was conceived and born and contin- 
ued through life absolutely without sin, original 
as well as actual. How different all this elaborate 
adoration of the Yirgin from the simple repre- 
sentation of her in the holy records! Not the 
favorer of men is she, but the favored of God ; 
not the mother of grace, but grace's daugh- 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY. 67 

ter;* not the enthroned above women, but the 
blessed among women ; not the queen of arch- 
angels, but the handmaid of the Lord ; not the 
sinless child of the skies, but the sinful daughter 
of Adam, needing and receiving her own Divine 
Son's redemption. 

Say of me as the angel said, " Thou art Mrs. Bixwn- 

The blessedest of women ! " — blessedest, ing- 

Not holiest, not noblest — no high name, 

Whose height, misplaced, may pierce me like a shame 

When I sit meek in heaven ! 

How prophetic a warning against Mariolatry, that 
Divine Son's own words : It came to pass that a Luke xi, 2?, 28. 
certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her 
voice, and said unto him, " Blessed is the womb 
that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst 
suck ! " But he said, " Yea rather, blessed are 
they who hear the word of God, and keep it ! " 
And again : While he was speaking to the multi- Matt, xii, 46-50. 
tudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood 
without, seeking to speak with him, but could not 
for the throng ; and it was told him. But he an- 
swered and said, " Who is my mother, and who 
are my brothers % " And stretching forth his hand 
toward his disciples, he said, " Behold my mother 
and my brothers ! For whosoever shall do the 
will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my 
brother, and sister, and mother." 

Nevertheless, a peculiar sacredness will ever- 
more attach to the name and character of Mary of 
Nazareth. And most justly. For she alone of 

* Non mater gratice, sedfilia graiiat. — Bengel. 



68 THE DIVINE MAN. 

all earth's women was permitted to become the 
mother of the Divine Man. And her whole char- 
acter, as disclosed in the occasional hints of the 
holy memoirs, seems to have been in beautiful 
harmony with that august destination. Pensive, 
guileless, pure, gentle, meek, aifectionate, trustful, 
reverent — in Mary of Galilee, as the fittest of 
women, was fulfilled, after centuries of waiting, 
the glowing vision of evangelic prophecy. 

Isaiah vii, 14. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, 

And shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]. 

This is Mary's unique glory — the glory of being 
the virgin-mother of the Word made flesh, the 
Divine Man. Herself the true Parthenos, our 
reverence for her is the true Parthenon. 

John Keble. Ave Maria ! blessed maid ! 

Lily of Eden's fragrant shade, 
Who can express the love 
That nurtured thee, so pure and sweet, 
Making thy heart a shelter meet 
For Jesus' holy dove ? 

Ave Maria ! mother blest, 

To whom, caressing and caress'd, 

Clings the Eternal Child ; 
Favor'd beyond, archangels' dream, 
When first on thee with tenderest gleam 

Thy new-born Saviour smiled. 

Ave Maria! thou whose name 
All but adoring love may claim, 

Yet may we reach thy shrine ; 
For he, thy Son and Saviour, vows 
To crown all lofty brows 

With love and joy like thine. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY. QQ 

Bless'd is the womb that bare him — bless'd 
The bosom where his lips were press'd, 

But rather bless'd are they 
Who hear his word and keep it well, 
The living homes where Christ shall dwell, 

And never pass away. 

Bat turn we now to a diviner theme. Ponder The Divine 
for a moment with sacred awe the ineffable mys- 
tery of the incarnation, the Word made flesh, di- 
vinity and humanity in one person, the Divine 
Man. 

Such an incarnation is a demand of human The Incarna- 
reason. Assuming that man is a fallen being sophicalNe- 
(alas ! who can deny it ?) ; assuming also that he cessity. 
desires salvation : — an incarnation — that is, a God- 
man — is a logical necessity. The argument in brief 
is this : Given a lost world, desiring salvation ; 
Given the law, Like begets like and nothing but 
like : And the conclusion is inevitable — he who 
saves a lost world must be above nature and also 
in nature, supernatural and natural, divine and 
human. Or the argument may be put in a briefer 
form, thus : Needed a God to touch man ; Needed 
a man to touch God : Needed a God-man to touch 
God and man. That is to say : Needed in order 
to man's salvation a Divine Man, such as Jesus of 
Nazareth claimed to be. And all this, be it ob- 
served, is a priori / the inevitable conclusion of 
human reason in advance of any divine revelation. 

And the story of the annunciation to Mary 
meets this logical, philosophical necessity. First, 
it gives us a God : " The Holy Spirit shall come 
upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall 



70 THE DIVINE MAN. 

overshadow thee : wherefore also the holy thing 
which is begotten shall be called the Son of God." 
The divine conception gives us a God. Secondly, 
the annunciation gives us a man : " Thou shalt 
conceive, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his 
name Jesus." The virgin's delivery gives us a 
human product — that is to say, a man. Thirdly, 
the annunciation gives us, not a God and a man, 
but the God-man. The "Word became flesh. 

Thus Scripture answers to reason, Jesus Christ 
answers to human want. In the divinely conceived 
Son of the virgin of Nazareth we have a Saviour 
who is both divine and human — one who was con- 
ceived from the divine essence, yet bom through 
a human mother — a God and yet a man. Or, as 
phrased in the so-called Apostles' Creed : " Con- 
ceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Yirgin 
Mary " : deifically conceived, humanly born ; deifi- 
cally generated into humanity — in a word, The 
Divine Man. It is earth's most mighty yet most 
blessed enigma. It is a theme ineffable. All we 
can say is this : The Word became flesh — God 
became man. 

This, then, is the testimony of the annuncia- 
tion : Immanuel, God with us. 

Thus is the fall reversed, Eden restored, and 
Jehovah God walks again with man even as he 
Gen. in, 8. walked with our first parents in the garden in the 

breeze of the day. What a stupendous contrast ! 
Lucifer, fallen son of the morning, in Eden ; Ga- 
briel, unf alien strength of God, in Nazareth. And 
as Gabriel heralded the first advent, so it may be 
Gabriel will herald the second advent, when the 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO MARY. ^\ 

Lord himself, do longer a babe, but the Judge of 

the quick and the dead, shall descend from heaven 1 Thess. iv, 16. 

with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and 

with the trump of God. Oh, let us hasten, then, 

with shepherd and with Magian to the cradle of 

the new-born King, bringing our gifts of gold and 

frankincense and myrrh. Recognizing that holy 

thing cradled in the manger as Mary's son and 

Mary's Lord, and bowing down before him as God 

manifest in the flesh, Deity incarnate, God-man, 

we shall be his, and so saved, world without end. 

O Holy and ever-blessed Spirit, who didst overshadow Prayerof Jere- 
the holy Virgin of our Lord, and cause her to conceive by m J Taylor, 
a miraculous and mysterious manner; Be pleased to over- 
shadow my soul and enlighten my spirit, that I may con- 
ceive the holy Jesus in my heart, and may bear him in my 
mind, and may grow up to the fullness of the stature of 
Christ, to be a perfect man in Christ Jesus. Amen. 



THE VISIT OF MARY TO 
ELISABETH. 



Luke 



Speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your 
heart to the Lord. 

Ephesians v, 19. 



V. 
THE VISIT OF MAKY TO ELISABETH. 

Luke i, 39-56. 

Gabriel's annunciation to the virgin of Naza- The Sacred 
reth — an annunciation so majestic and yet so mys- ourne y- 

, . ,. j . ■ £ • Luke i, 39,40. 

terious, so glorious and yet so ominous 01 misun- 
derstanding and ignominy — is too much for the 
lowly maiden to bear alone. She yearns to con- 
fide the wondrous secret to some pure-hearted, 
trusty friend. Who shall that confidant he ? 
Some female friend at Nazareth ? No ; the secret 
is too sacred. He to whom she has plighted her 
troth ? No ; the secret is too feminine — too di- 
vinely peculiar. To whom, then, shall she turn % 
Far to the south dwells an aged and saintly, kins- 
woman, concerning whom this same Gabriel has Luke i, 5-25. 
also made a glorious annunciation. To her she 
now feels drawn by the sense of a double kinship 
— a kinship in spirit as well as in nature. To 
Elisabeth, therefore, Mary now betakes herself 
with sacred haste. Considering those days of slow 
locomotion, it was a long and formidable journey 
for a solitary maiden to take. Yet how her steps 
must have been beguiled as she passed such mem- 
orable spots as Jezreel, and Samaria, and Jacob's 



76 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



The Homage- 

ful Saluta- 
tion. 
Luke i, 41^5. 



Matt, iii, 13-15 



"Well, and. Raman, and Bethel, and. Jerusalem, and 
Rachel's Tomb, and Hebron ! What thoughts, 
too, must have absorbed her in her strange jour- 
ney — thoughts of the angel's promise ; her glori- 
ous future; her relation to her betrothed; the 
effect the disclosure of her secret would have on 
Elisabeth ! Did ever mortal perform a journey 
so wondrously unique ? 

And now she has arrived at the priestly city. 
Entering the house of Zacharias, she salutes her 
aged kinswoman. Unexpectedly reverential and 
joyous is the answer to her greeting : It came to 
pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, 
the babe leaped in her womb. It was the recog- 
nition and adoration by the yet unborn son of the 
desert. It was also a prophecy of the homage 
by the Jordan : Then cometh Jesus from Galilee 
to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him. 
But John would have hindered him, saying, " I 
have need to be baptized by thee, and comest 
thou to me % " And not only does the unborn 
babe salute, the reverend mother joins in the 
salutation : Elisabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 
lifts up her voice, and exclaims, " Blessed art thou 
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy 
womb ! And whence is this to me, that the moth- 
er of my Lord should come unto me ? For, be- 
hold, when the voice of thy salutation came into 
mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 
And blessed is she that believed ; for there shall 
be a fulfillment of the things which have been 
spoken to her from the Lord." It is a beautiful 
instance of humility. For Mary was Elisabeth's 



cat. 
Luke i, 46-55. 



THE VISIT OF MARY TO ELISABETH. 77 

inferior in age and in station. Yet Elisabeth 

bowed before Mary, as the aged and anointed Eli 1 Sam. m, i-is. 

had bowed before the youthful and unmitered 

Samuel. Freedom from jealousy is ever a mark 

of greatness. 

Then burst forth from the lips of the JSaza- The Magnifi- 
rene virgin that glorious psean known as the Mag- 
nificat, and which to this day is still chanted in 
many of our temples. And Mary said : 

My soul doth magnify the Lord, 

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 

For he hath looked upon the low estate of his hand- 
maiden : 

For, hehold, from henceforth all generations shall call 
me blessed. 

For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ; 

And holy is his name. 

And his mercy is unto generations and generations 

On them that fear him. 

He hath showed strength with his arm ; 

He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their 
heart. 

He hath put down princes from their thrones, 

And hath exalted them of low degree. 

The hungry he hath filled with good things ; 

And the rich he hath sent empty away. 

He hath holpen Israel his servant, 

That he might remember mercy 

(As he spake unto our fathers) 

Toward Abraham and his seed for ever. 

In glancing at the Magnificat, observe, first, Peculiarities 
that it is marked by that peculiar characteristic of ^ ao . n ifo a e t 
Hebrew poetry known as parallelism. Our rhythm 
is the rhythm of meter, our rhyme is the rhyme 
of sound. The Hebrew rhythm was the rhythm 



78 THE DIVINE MAN. 

of clause or statement, the Hebrew rhyme was the 
rhyme of thought and sentiment ; or, as Ewald 
beautifully expresses it, "The rapid stroke as of 
alternate wings," " The heaving and sinking as of 
the troubled heart." Yiewed in this light, the 
Hebrew poetry is as much nobler than the classic 
as rhyme of thought is nobler than rhyme of 
sound. When will our colleges teach Job, and 
David, and Isaiah, and Habbakuk, as well as Ho- 
mer, and Yirgil, and Dante, and Shakespeare ? 
Again, observe the intensely Jewish character of 
the Magnificat, alike in its phraseology and in its 
reminiscences. Especially is it imbued with the 

l Sam. ii, 1-10. spirit of Hannah's thanksgiving song, improvised 
a thousand years before under circumstances some- 
what similar. But intensely Jewish as both these 
songs are, they are at the same time intensely ma- 
ternal, and so as true for mothers to-day as in the 
days of Mary or Hannah. Motherhood deepens 
into richer glory in the luster of these sacred 
lyrics. Once more, observe how in the holy 
strains of the Magnificat the Old Testament glides 
into the !Ne\v. Mary's cadences are the interlude 
between law and gospel — at once the finale to the 
old covenant and the overture to the new — and 
so linking Sinai and Calvary, temple and church, 
Moses and Jesus. Yery beautiful is the picture, 
this mutual greeting of aged Elisabeth and youth- 
ful Mary ; it is the emblem of the mutual greeting 
of type and antitype, of law and grace. 
Such is the story of the visitation. 

Devotion and In dismissing the story, it will not be amiss to 
oetry " say a few words on the matter of devotion and 



THE VISIT OF MARY TO ELISABETH. 79 

poetry. All deep feeling is essentially poetical. 
It is so in all lands, and has been so in all ages. 
All deep emotion, whether of joy or of grief, in- 
stinctively yearns for the accompaniment of sound 
and measure. Hence the pseans of Miriam, and 
Deborah, and Hannah, and Mary ; the laments of 
Job, and David, and Jeremiah, and captives of 
Babylon. Even the Delphian pythoness was wont 
to breathe forth the oracle in hexameter. All 
this is pre-eminently true of religious feeling. 
The truest devotion is the highest poetry. Ac- 
cordingly, the Bible is in way of eminence a book 
of poems. And the Psalter of the Bible has 
ever been the favorite praise-book of the Church. 
What does not the Church owe in way of devo- 
tion to the ancient doxologies and hymns, such 
as Gloria Patri, Gloria in Excelsis, Te Deum, 
Trisagion, Veni Creator Spiritus! What does 
she not owe in way of worship to Anatolius, and 
Ambrose, and Bernard of Clairveau, and Bernard 
of Cluny, and Thomas Aquinas; to Tauler, and 
Luther, and Eber, and Weiss, and Gerhard ; to 
Quarles, and Herbert, and Yaughan, and Addi- 
son, and Watts, and Doddridge, and Wesley, and 
Toplady, and Olivers, and Cennick, and Beddome, 
and Newton, and Cowper, and Montgomery, and 
Lyte, and Bowring, and Heber, and Faber, and 
Newman, and Bonar, and Palmer, and Smith ; to 
Anne Steele, and Letitia Barbauld, and Elisabeth 
Browning, and Sarah Adams, and Charlotte El- 
liott, and Alice and Phoebe Carey ! Ah ! here is 
the real concord of the ages — here is the true ecu- 
menical. 



80 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Devotion and And as there is a profound relation between 
devotion and poetry, so there is a profound rela- 
tion between devotion and music. 

Devotion borrows music's tone, 
And music takes devotion's wing ; 

And, like the bird that bails tbe sun, 
Tbey soar to beaven, and soaring sing. 

Accordingly, music is an essential, vital part of 
public worship. It was so in the ancient temple 
service. In fact, many of the psalms were com- 
posed for a distinctively liturgical purpose; for 
example, Psalms xx, xxix, xlvii, xlviii, lxvi-lxviii, 
xcii, xcv, c, etc. It was so in the apostolic church : 

Eph. v, 19. Be filled with the Spirit, speaking one to another 
in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing 
and making melody with your heart to the Lord. 

coi. m, 16. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly : in all 
wisdom teaching and admonishing one another 
with psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, sing- 
ing with grace in your hearts unto God. It was 
so in the Church just succeeding the apostolic. 
The heathen Pliny, writing to his imperial master 
Trajan, about the close of the first century, de- 
scribes the early Church as wont to assemble be- 
fore light, and sing responsively a song to Christ 
as to God.* It has been so evermore and every- 
where since. Even the Quakers, although they 
allow not music, yet preach intoningly, in a sing- 
song way. Music is the natural outlet of de- 
votion. 

* Ante lucem eonvenire, carmenque Christo quasi Deo dicere 
invicem. — Epist. x, 97. 



THE VISIT OF MARY TO ELISABETH. 81 

But the music, not less than the feeling and Superiority of 
the words, must be religious ; singing with grace chantin S- 
in our hearts unto God, making melody in our 
hearts unto the Lord. And herein lies the supe- 
riority of chanting. It is in certain respects the 
simplest form of music, and therefore offers the 
least temptation to pride of artistic execution. 
Moreover, chanting is intelligible. Even things 1 cor. xiv, 7-9. 
without life, giving a voice, whether pipe or harp, 
if they give not a distinction in the sounds, how 
shall it be known what is piped or harped ? For if 
the trumpet give an uncertain voice, who shall pre- 
pare himself for war ? So also ye, unless ye utter by 
the tongue speech easy to be understood, how shall 
it be known what is spoken ? for ye will be speak- 
ing into the air. Once more, chanting is the most 
natural as well as ancient form of temple music. 
Instruments may be improved, but not the sponta- 
neous expression of feeling. To the reflective wor- 
shiper, few things are more inspiring and sublime 
than the sense of joining in strains centuries old. 

But devotion is even more than a song, it is a Worship, 
life. And here even the deaf and dumb may sing, 
singing and making melody in their hearts to the 
Lord. Oh, how many spiritual Beethovens there 



Life. 



are 



There are in this loud, stunning tide 

Of human care and crime, 
"With whom the melodies abide 

Of th' everlasting chime ; 
Who carry music in their heart 
Through dusky lane and wrangling mart, 
Plying their daily task with busier feet, 
Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat. 



82 THE DIVINE MAN. 

What God is like our God, who giveth songs 
in the night, turning the raven's croak into the 
nightingale's warble ! God be praised ! there is 
such a thing as rhythm of life, an inward life- 
psahn, and so an outward — heaven the phone, 
earth the antiphone. Our heavenly Father, thy 
will be done, as in heaven so on earth ! The real 
liturgy, after all, is the service of daily character. 
Thus warbling on earth, we shall be trained to 
take our place in the celestial choir of the true 

Gai. iv, 26. Notre Dame, even Mother Jerusalem, which is 
above and free, and where, with the saints of all 
lands, and ages, and names, we shall chant world 

Eev. v, 12. without end the true Magnificat : Worthy is the 
Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, 
and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, 
and glory, and blessing ! Amen and amen ! 

Collect. O Lord Jesus Christ, in whom the whole fullness of the 

Godhead and manhead, without sin, dwelleth in one Person 
forever ; who, for us men and for our salvation, didst die 
and rise again, and now sittest at the right hand of the 
Father Almighty as our Prophet, Priest, and King, able and 
willing to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by 
thee : Thou art worthy to receive the grateful homage of all 
ages and creeds and tongues ; and, with the glorious com- 
pany of the apostles, with the goodly fellowship of the 
prophets, with the noble army of martyrs, with the holy 
Church throughout all the world, with the heavenly Jeru- 
salem, the joyful assembly of the first-born on high, with 
the innumerable host of angels around thy throne, the 
heaven of heavens, and all the powers therein, we worship 
and adore thy glorious name, saying with a loud voice : 

Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power be unto him 
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever 
and ever ! Amen ! 



THE BIRTH AND TRAINING OF 
JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

Luke i, 57-80. 

Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare 
the way before me. 

Malachi iii, 1. 



VL 

THE BIRTH AND TRAINING OF JOHN 

THE BAPTIST. 

Luke 1, 57-80. 

The promise made by the angel Gabriel to the The Birth and 
aged Zacharias in Jerusalem's temple has been ami °S- 
fulfilled. In one of the quiet towns of the hill 
country of Judea a son has been born to the saintly 
Elisabeth. Neighbors and kinsfolk, true to the 
instincts of a nature not yet dulled by the forced 
proprieties of an overwrought civilization, gather 
around her to offer their congratulations. On 
the arrival of the eighth clay they hold a formal 
gathering, to celebrate the Abrahamic rite which 
would make the new-born child a member of 
Jehovah's covenant people, and also to give him 
his name. In accordance with a custom of the 
times, and indeed an instinct of humanity, they 
are about to call him Zacharias, after the name of 
his father. The devout mother, remembering 
Gabriel's bidding in the temple, refuses consent : 
" Not so ; but he shall be called John [Jehovah's Luke i, 13. 
grace]." The company, surprised by this decision 
of the mother, protest : " There is none of thy 
kindred that is called by this name." Confident 



86 THE DIVINE MAN. 

that the father would in paternal pride insist that 
his son should bear his own name, thej turn to 
him, and, making signs, ask how he would have 
him named. The mute old man asks for a writing- 
tablet, and pens the simple words : " His name is 
John." ]STo sooner has he penned this than his 
tongue, which has been locked for months, is 
loosed, and he speaks, praising God. The sudden 
return of the power of speech and his evidently 
rapt state fill the spectators with amazement, and, 
recalling, it may be, the ancient and precious 
prophecy of the coming Messiah, they exclaim, 
" What, then, shall this child be \ " Nor is this 
all. The Holy Spirit takes possession of the aged 
priest, he is filled with the prophetic rapture, and, 
Luke i, 46-55. as Mary weeks before had chanted her Magnificat^ 
so now Zacharias chants his Benedictus : 

The Benedic- Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel ; 

tus - For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his 

Luke i, 68-79. people, 

And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us 

In the house of his servant David 

(As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have 

been of old), 
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that 

hate us ; 
To shew mercy towards our fathers, 
And to remember his holy covenant ; 
The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, 
To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand 

of our enemies 
Should serve him without fear, 

In holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 
Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most 
Hkh: 



BIRTH AND TRAINING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 87 

For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready 

his ways ; 
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people 
In the remission of their sins, 
Because of the tender mercy of our God, 
"Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, 
To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of 

death ; 
To guide our feet into the way of peace. 

ISTor "has that ancient JBenedictus of Zaeharias lost 
its power. Like the Magnificat of Mary, it is still 
chanted in many of our temples, and will continue 
to be the Church's song of inspiration till the day- 
spring from on high, even the bright morning 
star, sparkles again in the horizon of the new heav- 
ens and earth, nevermore to set 

And the child grew, and waxed strong in TiainiDgofthe 
spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his Forerunner, 
shewing unto Israel. Then began to be fulfilled, 
in outline, at least, Gabriel's prophecy to Zaeha- 
rias, as he was serving by the altar of incense, 
touching his coming Son : " He shall be great in Luke i, 15. 
the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine 
nor strong drink ; and he shall be filled with the 
Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb." The 
child John seems to have grown up in strictest 
seclusion and self-denial, according to the ancient 
law of the JNazarite. His home, if home it might 
be called, was the wilderness of Judea — the rug- 
ged desert west of the Dead Sea ; his garb a rai- Matt, m, 4. 
ment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle; his 
food locusts and wild honey; himself the very 
counterpart of Elijah the Tishbite. 2 Kings i, 8. 



88 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Parneirs "Her- Far in the wild, unknown to public view, 

From youth to age a reverend hermit grew; 
The moss his bed, the cave his humble cell, 
His food the fruits, his drink the crystal well : 
Remote from man, he spent his days, 
Prayer all his business, all his pleasure praise. 

Thus grew up in desert obscurity and Nazarite 

asceticism, John, the Forerunner, till the time, 

Luke ui, 23. when about thirty years old, he was manifested 

unto Israel, suddenly bursting forth as a meteor in 

the shy of the Hebrew night. 

Such is the story of the birth and training of 
the Harbinger. 

The story suggests many lessons. I will men- 
tion but two. 
"Coming And, first, it is a fine illustration of the prov- 

their S Shad- er ^' " Coming events cast their shadows before." 
owsBefore." It was meet that the King of kings, in making 
advent, should have his avant-courier. It is glori- 
ous to know that, when he did make his advent, 
John, the son of Zacharias, emerged from his 
Lukein, i-3. seclusion, and came into all the region about Jor- 
dan, preaching the baptism of repentance unto 
remission of sins, saying : " Repent ye : for the 
kingdom of heaven is at hand " ; thus fulfilling a 
prediction already seven hundred years old, even 
the prophecy of the son of Amoz : 

Isaiah xl, 3-5. The voice of one that crieth, 

Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah, 
Make straight in the desert a high way for our God. 
Every valley shall be exalted, 
And every mountain and hill shall be made low ; 
And the crooked shall be made straight, 



< - 1 - 1 1 1 - 



BIRTH AND TRAINING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 89 

And the rough places plain, 

And the glory of Jehovah shall he revealed, 

And all flesh shall see it together : 

For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. 

Yes, it was meet that the Sun of Righteousness 
should have His morning star. 

Secondly, The place of asceticism in the Chris- Place of Ohri 
tian life. For it can not be denied that Christ's S^ Asccti - 
religion demands as one of its essential conditions 
self-denial. Presupposing a fallen, inverted na- 
ture, where the outward has usurped the inward — 
the flesh, the spirit — Christianity undertakes a 
restoration of the primal order, proposing victory 
in the very sphere of defeat. It cages the wild 
beasts of the lusts of the flesh, and scourges re- 
fractory passions. Thus, St. Paul himself buffeted 
Kis own body, and brought it into bondage. It is 
a sure way to get spiritual robustness. Much is 
said in our day about the need of "muscular 
Christianity." Would God as much were said 
about the need of Christian muscle ! As a matter 
of fact, the stalwart, majestic characters of Script- 
ure were in the habit of putting themselves ever 
and anon under an ascetic regimen. It was true 
of Moses, of David, of Daniel. Our blessed Lord 
himself went into the wilderness, and fasted forty 
days and forty nights. So, also, many of the noblest 
characters in Christian history have been ascet- 
ics : witness a Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, Chrysos- 
tom, Jerome, Columba, Augustine of Canterbury. 
Their power lay, in part at least, in their asceti- 
cism. It certainly was so in the case of John of 
the Desert. His hermit-life gave him simplicity 



90 THE DIVINE MAN. 

of manners, freedom from the entanglements of 
society and the elaborate artifices of a complicated 
civilization. It also gave him self- reliance, forti- 
tude, courage. An ascetic life is ever apt to make 
what in some respects is a grand character. It was 
the secret of John's famous power when, in the 

Matt, iu, 5, 6. day of his shewing to Israel, Jerusalem, and all 
Juclea, and all the region round about Jordan, 
went out unto him, to be baptized by him in the 
river Jordan, confessing their sins. 

Asceticism Yet an ascetic life is fraught with perils. It 

Peril? Wlth tempts to self-righteousness, morbid gloom, and 
fanaticism. We only need recall the abominable 
vices of the mediaeval monks — their indolence, 
avarice, hypocrisy, and sensuality — to be certified 
that monasticism has no just jjlace in the Christian 
economy. Happy the day for those European 
countries when the monasteries were suppressed ! 
]STo, man was made for man. He may escape so- 
ciety; but in escaping society, he disowns duty. 

Matt, xiii, 33. The leaven of the kingdom must be put into the 
meal of the world. Yiewecl in this light, monas- 

Miiton's "Areo- ticism is both selfish and cowardly. "I cannot 
praise," said John Milton, " a fugitive and clois- 
tered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that 
never sallies out and sees her adversaries, but slinks 
out of the race, where the immortal garland is to 
be run for, not without dust and heat." The 
asceticism which Jesus Christ, alike by word and 
by example, demands is self-denial, not for self- 
denial's own sake, but for the sake of others. The 
gallant Sir Philip Sidney, fatally wounded on the 
field of Zutphen, and calling in his fever for drink, 



pagitica. 



BIRTH AND TRAINING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 91 

and then observing a wounded comrade, and bid- 
ding the bottle to be carried to him, saying, " Thy 
necessity is greater than mine," is an exquisite 
instance of the true asceticism. Christian self- 
denial means vicarious self-sacrifice. 

And the Divine Man is here as everywhere Jesus, not 
else our blessed model. He was in the world, but ^° o b d °'j our 
ho was not of the world ; and as he was, so we are John xvii; 16 . 
to be. Asceticism is not a form ; but a spirit : not 
a will-worship, and willful humiliation, and severity coi. a, 23. 
to the body ; but a mortification of our evil pas- coi. m, 5. 
sions. It is easier to follow John the Hermit than 
to follow Jesus the Comrade. And so he that is Matt, xi, 11. 
least in the kingdom of the Son is greater than 
John the Baptizer. After all, the followers of 
Jesus are the true " Knights of St. John," and 
this because they are the true " Order of Jesuits." 

Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant John Collect. 
Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the 
way of thy Son our Saviour, by preaching repentance ; 
Make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may 
truly repent according to his preaching ; and after his ex- 
ample constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and 
patiently suffer for the truth's sake : through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 

Matthew i, 18-25. 

The name which is above every name. 

Philippians ii, 9. 



Resolve. 
Matt, i, 18, 19. 



VII. 

THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 

Matthew i, 18-25. 

The promise of a supernatural motherhood The Delicate 
which had been announced by Gabriel to the vir- 
gin of Nazareth was a secret as awful as blessed. 
It was a secret which she, spotless virgin that she 
was, could not divulge to others, least of all to her 
affianced. When, therefore, the signs of coining 
maternity became evident, the virgin's condition 
was truly and inexpressibly tragical. Profound 
emblem it was of the unspeakable abasement of 
the Divine Man himself; a cloud rested on him 
from the very beginning, the shadow fell on his 
very cradle. Verily, God sent forth his own Son 
in the likeness of sinful flesh. The betrothed car- 
penter of Nazareth, ignorant, as we can easily be- 
lieve, of Gabriel's annunciation to his affianced, 
would naturally be the first to feel a dark surmise. 
But he was, as a blessed Providence had graciously 
arranged, a just, considerate man. Unspeakably 
grieved though he was, he had a sense of the sacred 
dignity which belongs to man as the instinctive 
guardian of woman. And so, though forced by 
the pressure of circumstances to disown his be- 



96 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



The Blessed 
Annuncia- 
tion. 

Matt, i, 20, 21. 



The Name, 
Jesus. 



Saved from 
Sin. 



trothed, jet he humanely resolved to disown her 
as gently and inconspicuously as possible. Joseph 
her husband, being a righteous man, and not will- 
ing to make her a public example, was minded to 
put her away privily. 

Now, while Joseph was thinking of these 
things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto 
him in a dream, saying, " Joseph, thou son of 
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife ; 
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy 
Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son : and thou 
shalt call his name Jesus ; for it is he that shall 
save his people from their sins." It is a wonderful 
annunciation. Let us ponder it in detail. 

And, first, the wonderful name : " Thou shalt 
call his name Jesus [that is, Jehovah our Salva- 
tion] ; for it is he that shall save his people from 
their sins." From this name and from the reason 
assigned for it we learn three great things : First, 
there is something to be saved from — it is sins; 
secondly, there is some one who will save — it is 
Jesus ; thirdly, there are those whom Jesus will 
save — it is his people. 

And, first, there is something to be saved from 
— Snr. 






of sin. For it is not possible that sin should not 
incur the wrath of God ; and God's wrath is sin's 
penalty. The penal consequence of God's dis- 
obeyed law is not an appendage arbitrarily annexed 
to his law : it grows out of his law, or rather out 
of his very being and nature, spontaneously, nor- 
mally, naturally, without volition on his part. It 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 9? 

is not that God by an act of sovereign will chooses 
to punish sin :.it is that, being what he is, he can 
not help punishing sin. For that great law, 
alike written and unwritten, which all mankind 
have broken and under whose condemnation all 
mankind lie, is not a piece of legislation, not a 
statute or edict which God has chosen to frame 
and impose on our race : but it is a part of his 
very being, eternal as his nature, immortal as his 
character, infinite as his perfections. And as God 
did not frame this law, so God can not destroy it or 
soften its penalty. Existing by no edict or voli- 
tion of his own, but consubstantial with himself, 
he can no more detach or reduce its penalty than 
he can change or annihilate himself. From the 
very nature of the case, in simple virtue of his own 
being and perfections, he is compelled to feel the 
wrath. And this feeling the wrath must inex- 
orably issue in the infliction of the penalty. And 
this penalty is death — death of the spirit, of which 
death of the body is a consequence, and in some 
awful sense a symbol and type. 

Again, man needs to be saved from the guilt 
of sin. For there is something worse than the 
being punished — it is the deserving punishment. 
Remitting the penalty of sin is not the same as 
cleansing from the guilt of sin. To illustrate : 
Here is a man who has murdered another in cold 
blood. He has been detected, tried, convicted, 
sentenced. The Governor has been persuaded to 
remit the penalty. The news is brought to the 
cell of the condemned. Doubtless he feels a great 
relief. But, after all, is he any purer in soul ? 
9 



lour 



98 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Has the pardon made him innocent of murder ? 
Is he not just as much an assassin still as he was 
the moment he fired the fatal shot ? He might 
receive from the Governor ten thousand pardons ; 
the whole world might join in pronouncing him 
innocent : it matters not; the red stain still is and 
evermore will be on his guilty soul. Pardon may 
save from the gallows ; but pardon will not save 
from guilt. The sinner may be saved from hell ; 
but that does not make him holy. Man needs to be 
saved from the guilt of sin not less than from the 
penalty of sin ; from the wretched sense of being 
sinful not less than from sin's penal consequences. 
Once more, man needs to be saved from the 
'power of sin. It is not enough that he is rescued 
from the penalty of sin, not even enough that he 
is cleansed from the guilt of sin : he also needs to 
be freed from the sway of sin ; so that sin shall no 
longer be over him an influence or power. It is 
not enough that the murderer is absolved from the 
murder ; he needs to have the evil heart — the pos- 
sibility of being a murderer — taken out of him. 
The sinner not only needs cleansing from the past, 
he also needs protection for the future. lie needs 
to be lifted into that state of blessed invulnerable- 
ness in which he will not sin and can not sin.* 

These, then, are the three things from which 

man needs to be saved : the doom of sin, the 

guilt of sin, the sway of sin. Can he be thus 

saved % 

s the Sav- Secondly : One there is who will save — Jesus, 



Beat a ncccssitas honi. — Augustine. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 99 

Son of God and Son of man, the Word made flesh, 
the Divine Man. 

Listen to St. Paul, even him who felt himself 
to be the chief of sinners : " Faithful is the saying 1 Tim. i, 15. 
and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
came into the world to save sinners." And how 
does Christ Jesus save sinners ? He saves them, 
practically speaking, by becoming himself a man, 
and so getting himself into connection with man's 
nature and condition and feelings and doom ; by 
reconciling fallen men to God, assuring them, 2 cor. v, 18-21. 
through his own blessed sympathies and compas- 
sions, that God is reconciled to them in Christ ; by 
winning guilty man's attention and gratitude and 
reverence and trust and love through his own un- 
utterable condescension in sharing with him sym- 
pathetically his trials and woes, bearing his griefs, 
carrying his sorrows, dying his death ; by divert- 
ing the sinner's penalty from him, becoming in 
some mysterious, awfully inexplicable way his 
substitute before God ; by cleansing him from his 
sins, bathing him in his own lustrating blood ; 
by answering the demands of the sinner's con- 
science hi respect to the vindication of God's law 
and righteousness, assuring him that he — the Kec- 
onciler— is God as well as man, and that, if God 
himself can be willing and just to forgive, the 
sinner ought also to be willing to be forgiven ; by 
breaking the power of indwelling sin through 
" the expulsive power of a new affection " ; by 
covering the sinner's guilt with his own infinite 
righteousness ; by drowning the sinner's sense of 
guilt in the ocean of his own infinite blessedness. 



100 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Tims does the Divine Man save from sin. Right- 
ly, then, is he named Jesus, that is, Jehovah-Sav- 
iour. And in no other name is there salvation ; 
Acts iv, 12. for there is no other name under heaven given 
among men wherein we must be saved. 

There is none Qther name than thine, 
Jehovah Jesus ! Name divine ! 
On which to rest for sins forgiven, 
For peace with God, for hope of heaven. 

Name above every name! thy praise 
Shall fill the remnant of my days : 
Jehovah Jesus! Name divine! 
Rock of salvation ! thou art mine. 

Jesus' People Thirdly : There are those whom Jesus will 
Saved. gaye — j^ PE0PLE- 

There is a sense, indeed, in which it is glori- 
Heb. ii, 9. ously true that Jesus Christ has, by the grace of 

i Tim. iv, io. God, tasted death for every man, being the Saviour 
of all men, specially of them that believe. Ac- 
cordingly, he has authorized his evangelists to 
Mark xvi, is. proffer his salvation to every human being : " Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the glad tidings 
Rev. xxii, 17. to the whole creation." The Spirit and the bride 
say, Gome ! And he that heareth, let him say, 
Come ! And he that is athirst, let him come ; he 
that will, let him take the water of life freely. 

But while all this is preciously true — while, to 
use the language of Andrew Fuller, "the salva- 
tion which Jesus offers is sufficient for all who 
will take it, yet it is efficient for only those who do 
take it." And it is precisely those who do take it 
whom Jesus Christ calls his people ; and these are 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 101 

they whom he will save. Thou shalt call his name 
Jesus ; for it is he that shall save his people from 
their sins. And none others will he save. How 
can he ? Since the Christian salvation implies vol- 
untary, glad acceptance on the part of him who is 
saved, as well as gracious power on the part of him 
who saves, how can Jesus Christ save the man who 
refuses to be saved ? Omnipotence itself, consid- 
ered as simple, sheer force, can not compel joyous 
obedience, glad love, real loyalty of heart. It is of 
the very essence of a moral nature that its will is 
free. How, then, can Jesus Christ save a man 
who will not be saved % In fact, Christ's salvation 
hinges on this very thing — the willingness to be 
saved : " Ye will not come to me, that ye may have John v, 40. 
life." Already under condemnation, and refusing 
or simply neglecting the great salvation, what right Heb. a, 3. 
has he to escape if he could ; how can he escape 
if he would ? He that believeth not is twice con- 
demned : first, because he has disobeyed Sinai's 
law ; and secondly, because, having disobeyed 
Sinai's law, he accepts not Calvary's pardon. The 
Gospel, therefore, is and must be either a savor of 2 cor. ii, 16. 
life unto life, or a savor of death unto death. 

God be praised, he has given his incarnate Son 
a multitude which no man can number. And 
these shall never perish, and no one shall snatch Johns, 28. 
them out of his hand. They are his in the eter- 
nal council of grace, elect according to the fore- 1 Pet<tf i, 2, ; 
knowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of 
the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the 
blood of Jesus Christ. Listen to our blessed 
Lord's own prayer : 



102 THE DIVINE MAN. 

John xvii. Holy Father, I pray not for the world, but for those 

whom thou hast given me ; for tehey are thine ; and all things 
that are mine are thine, and thine are mine; and lam glori- 
fied in them ; and the glory which thou hast given me I 
have given unto them ; that they may be one, even as we 
are one ; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be per- 
fected into one ; that the world may know that thou didst 
send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me: Father, 
that which thou hast given me, I will that, where I am, they 
also may be with me ; that they may behold my glory, 
which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the 
foundation of the world. 

Ah, this it is to be one of Christ's people ! This 
it is to be saved by one whose name is Jesus ! 
Who does not feel that this wondrous name, even 
pnii. ii, 9-n. Jesus, is the name which is above every name % 
In the sphere of this peerless name what knee will 
refuse to bow, what tongue refuse to confess ? 

Edward Perro All hail the power of Jesus' name ! 

net. 1 

Let angels prostrate fall ; 

Bring forth the royal diadem, 

And crown him Lord of all ! 

immanuei. And now let us briefly jDonder St. Matthew's 

Matt, i, 22, 23. comment on Gabriel's annunciation to Joseph : 

"Now all this is come to pass, that it might be 

fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through 

the prophet, saying, 

Isaiah vii, 14. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth 
a son, 
And they shall call his name Immanuei ; 

which is, being interpreted, God with us." This 
prophecy of Isaiah has been one of the great battle- 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 103 

fields of the scholars. The various interpretations 
may be divided into three classes : First, the class 
which asserts a single and immediate fulfillment in 
the time of King Ahaz : this justifies Isaiah, but dis- 
allows Matthew. Secondly, the class which asserts 
an exclusive fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth : this 
justifies Matthew, but disallows Isaiah. Thirdly, 
the class which asserts a double fulfillment ; imme- 
diate, as foretold by Isaiah ; historic, as recorded 
by Matthew : this disallows neither Isaiah nor Mat- 
thew, and justifies both. And this is manifestly the 
true interpretation. God's promises are infinitely 
inexhaustible.* They are ever growing in scope 
and meaning, like concentric waves of the sea, ever 
multiplying and widening with the flow of time. 
Or, to use the familiar words of Francis Bacon : 

The fulfillments of divine prophecies are taking place Bacon's "De 

Augment in " 

continually, and not at the particular time only. For they ii, 2. 
are of the nature of their Author, 'to whom a thousand 
years are hut as one day, and one day as a thousand years; ' 
and though the height or fullness of them is commonly re- 
ferred to some one age or particular period, yet they have 
at the same time certain gradations and processes, spring- 
ing and germinant accomplishment throughout many divers 
ages of the world. 

Take, now, this prophecy of Isaiah. In God's 
counsel, the fact, we must believe, was before 
the prophecy. God adjusted the prophecy to 
the fact, not the fact to the prophecy. The 
Messianic future was rooted in and grew out of 
the prophetic present. And all Christian history 



* Habet Scriptura Sacra haustus primos, habet sccundos, habet 
tertios. — Augustine. 



104 THE DIVINE MAN. 

proves that Matthew interpreted Isaiah aright. 
The Church of the living God is the perpetual 
demonstration that there is an Immanuel, God- 
with-us. Every page of Christian history is illu- 

Matt. xxviii, 20. minated with the caption ; " Lo, I am with you 
alway, even unto the end of the world." 

Joseph's Obe- And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as 

ience. ^ an g e i f fo Q ~l ov( [ commanded him, and took 

' ' unto him his wife ; and knew her not till she had 

brought fortli a son : and he called his name Jesus. 

It is a beautiful instance of holy credence and love 

and trust. 

The Name And now, what shall I say in conclusion? 
Name. eVery What but this — gratefully to repeat these golden 
words: "Thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he 
it is that shall save his people from their sins." 
Ah, friend, it is the only name by which thou 
canst be saved. Earthly names there are which 
are dear to thee. But not one of these names can 
save thee from thy sins. Not one of them can 
forgive sin, or cleanse from guilt, or speak peace 
to the troubled conscience. Not one of them can 
light up thy dying chamber with heavenly visions. 
Thou wilt want a mightier name than any earthly 
to plead when thou comest to stand before the 

Eph. i, 21. great white throne. Thou wilt want that name 

which is above every name, not only in this world, 
but also in that which is to come. It is the name 

canticles i, 3. Jesus, Jehovah-Saviour. It is a name most fra- 
grant ; it is as ointment poured forth. That heav- 
enly ointment was poured forth when Jewish 
priests reviled that sacred name, when Gentile 
Pilate wrote over the cross, " This is Jesus, the 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH. 105 

King of the Jews," when the sacred hands were 
nailed, when the sacred side was pierced. Then 
was the costly alabaster vase broken ; and the pre- 
cious ointment is filling time and eternity with its 
fragrance. Plead this precious name, O sinful 
man, at the judgment bar ; and the odors of it, 
perfumed as it is with memories of Bethlehem 
and Nazareth and Jerusalem and Calvary and Oli- 
vet, will rise like a cloud of sweet incense before 
the Almighty Judge ; and he will say to thee, Ac- 
cepted, Welcome ! 

There is no name so sweet on earth, G. w. Bethune. 

No name so sweet in heaven, 
The name before his wondrous birth 

To Christ the Saviour given. 

And when he hung upon the tree, 

They wrote this name above him, 
That all might see the reason we 

For evermore must love him. 

O Jestts, by that matchless name, 

Thy grace shall fail us never : 
To-day as yesterday the same, 

Thou art the same for ever. 

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we render thee Collect, 
most hearty thanks, that after man, created in thine own 
image, had fallen under the curse of sin and death, thou 
didst not leave him to perish in helpless misery, but did*t 
provide a Saviour, and proclaim to the fathers, by the mouth 
of thy prophets and holy men of old, the advent of thy dear 
Son, the Hope of Israel, the Desire of the nations, the Re- 
deemer of the world, that, by believing on him, we might 
have the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting : to whom, 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one Goo", be glory and 
thanksgiving, world without end. Amen. 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Luke ii, 1-7. 

Unto us a child is born, 

Unto us a son is given ; 

And the government shall be upon his shoulder; 

And his name shall be called 

Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, 

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah ix, 5, 6. 



VIII. 

THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Luke ii, 1-7. 
Although the birth, of the Divine Man is the Chronology of 

the " 

ity. 



pivotal fact of Christianity and the turning-point 



in human history, yet, strange to say, we do not 
know the day or even the year in which Jesus 
Christ was born. Nor is it needful that we should. 
Our salvation depends on the fact of his birth, not 
on its time or place. It matters not, then, on 
what particular clay ho was born. The grand 
"thing is that he has been born at all. Enough 
that we know that there has been such a thing as 
the fullness of the time, and that, when that full- Gai. iv, 4. 
ness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, 
born of a woman, born under the law, that we 
might receive the adoption of sons. Nevertheless, 
let me say in passing, there is a fine propriety in 
celebrating once a year the nativity. Our igno- 
rance of the date is no valid objection. We do not 
hesitate to date our letters and documents Anno 
Domini 1887, although in doing so we commit an 
error of at least four years, and perhaps six. The 
all-important thing here is not the time of the na- 
tivity, but the fact of the nativity. And, if one 



110 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Micah', 
ccy. 



Propb 



The Prophecy 
Imperiled. 



day in every week the Church of Immanuel cele- 
brates the resurrection of her Lord, is it unbecom- 
ing that she should one day in every year celebrate 
that nativity without which there had never been 
either resurrection or redemption, or even the 
Church herself ? 

And now let us attend to the story of the birth 
of Immanuel. 

More than seven centuries before the birth of 
Jesus Christ, the prophet Micah gave utterance to 
the following remarkable prophecy : 

Thon, Beth-lehem Ephratah, 

Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, 

Out of thee shall One come forth unto me 

Who is to be ruler in Israel ; 

Whose goings forth are from of old, 

From everlasting. 

Without staying to comment on the details of this 
prediction, let it be especially noted how particu- 
larly the prophet designates the birthplace of the 
promised Messiah. Gazing down from the mount 
of prophecy, casting his piercing glance over all 
the world, his prophetic eye at last rests on a little 
village six miles south of Jerusalem ; and he an- 
nounces, with the confidence of one who had been 
an eyewitness of the scene, and was describing it 
historically, that in Bethlehem of Judea shall be 
bom One who shall reign, the universal, everlasting 
King. And, committing his oracle to the keeping 
of the God of Abraham and of David, Micah 
lies down to sleep in the sepulchre of his fathers. 
And now century after century creeps on, 
each plunging into the abyss of -eternity. And 






THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. m 

each century, as it takes its awful plunge, carries 
down with it the ruin of many a scheme and the 
downfall of many a kingdom. Untold times dur- 
ing these seven hundred years does the oracle of 
Micah, the seer, seem on the point of dissolving 
into space. Feebly flickering and glimmering in 
the dreary night that is creeping over the land of 
promise, ever and anon it seems as though it must 
go out forever as some fresh tempest of foreign 
fury sweeps over and desolates the Hoiy Land. 
Invader after invader marches through the country. 
Uncircumcised heathen sit on the throne of David. 
The idols of Nebuchadnezzar are enshrined in the 
holy places. Jerusalem yields the key of her for- 
tress to Alexander. The Egyptian Ptolemies re- 
new the yoke imposed by the ancient Pharaohs. 
The bugles of Antiochus the Great resound from 
Lebanon to the Sea of the Dead. At length 
Judea shakes beneath the heavy tramp of the 
legions of Poiupey. The scepter has departed Genesis xiix, 10. 
from Judah, and the ruler's staff from between 
his feet. The throne of David, once so august, 
has crumbled into ruins. Flocks of sheep still 
graze on the hill-sides of Bethlehem, but no scion 
of the royal house is there to tend them, or to echo 
the pastoral song of the monarch-minstrel : 

Jehovah is my shepherd ; I shall not want. Psalm xxiii. 

Nevertheless, the oracle has gone forth that out of 
Bethlehem Ephratah shall go forth One who shall 
shepherd Israel. But how can the oracle be fulfilled ? 

Behold, then, a wonderful movement of that Caesar's De- 
almighty finger at whose touch creation sways. Luke «', 1-6. 



112 TIIE DIVINE MAN. 

Far oil across the Mediterranean, on another con- 
tinent, revels in imperial splendor Csesar Augus- 
tus. Little does this monarch, on whose brow 
glitters the crown of an almost universal empire, 
dream that, while the world is kneeling before 
him, he himself is an appointed instrument for the 
execution of a purpose conceived from before the 

Book of Esther, world was. That same Almighty God who, through 
the restlessness of a Persian monarch, had rescued 
from annihilation the national stock from which 
his anointed was to spring, prepared a birthplace 
for his anointed through the edict of a Roman 

Gai. iv, 4. emperor. For, when the fullness of the time had 

come, and the Christ was to be born, Csesar Au- 
gustus issued a decree that all the world should be 
enrolled. And, since it was the Jewish custom 
that each Israelite should be registered in the 
birthplace of his chief ancestor, Joseph and Mary 
went up from Nazareth in Galilee, where they 
were living, to Bethlehem in Judea, where their 
ancestor David had been born, to be enrolled. 
x\nd it came to pass, while they were there, the 
days were fulfilled that she should be delivered ; 
and she brought forth her first-born son, even Iin- 
inanuel. And thus a minute prophecy, a thousand 
times imperiled in the course of seven centuries, 
was at last minutely accomplished. Oh, who does 
not feel that a God is here \ Who can resist the 
conviction that this God has had from the begin- 
ning his purposes, and actually controls every 
movement of every human will ? 

Osesar's Free- Yet there is no reason for supposing that Au- 
dom. gustus Csesar, in issuing his decree for a universal 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. H3 

•8 

census, was conscious that in so doing he was pre- 
paring the way for the accomplishment of an an- 
cient prediction. A Roman, he cared nothing for 
the Hebrews. A pagan, he knew nothing of Mes- 
sianic prophecies. His issuing a decree of enroll- 
ment was nothing unnatural or extraordinary ; it 
was one of the commonest acts of a political ruler, 
and he himself was one of the most methodical of 
men. Yet who can doubt that Caesar Augustus, 
in issuing this decree, was accomplishing a prede- 
termined purpose of the Ancient of Days ? Nev- 
ertheless, nothing is clearer than this : Caesar Au- 
gustus, in publishing this edict, and Joseph and 
Mary, in visiting Bethlehem in accordance with 
its requirements, acted as perfectly free, voluntary 
beings. They governed themselves according to 
circumstances — circumstances perfectly natural in 
themselves. Augustus ordered the registration be- 
cause he was a man of method, and wanted imperial 
statistics ; Joseph and Mary visited Bethlehem in 
order to obey the mandate. And yet in doing so 
were they not fulfilling — it matters not how un- 
consciously to themselves — a certain prediction 1 
Were they not chosen to be instruments of a cer- 
tain purpose \ "Was it not divinely foreseen, and 
divinely foreseen because divinely foreordained, 
that Ceesar Augustus should issue this decree, and 
that Joseph and Mary should visit Bethlehem ? 

Now, I have not alluded to this matter for the Diwne Sover- 
purpose of attempting to solve a frequently pro 
pounded problem — namely, the reconciliation of dom 
divine sovereignty and human freedom. I have 
alluded to it simply for the purpose of showing 



eignty and 
Human Free- 



114 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Deut. xxix, 29. 



Bethlehem. 



Micah v, 2. 



that when we look at this problem in its historic, 
practical, matter-of-fact aspect, the difficulties van- 
ish. When God, through his prophet Micah, fore- 
told that his Messiah would be born at Bethlehem, 
he intended that the virgin mother of that Messiah 
should be brought to her ancestral city by a decree 
of a Roman emperor. But this Roman emperor 
issued this decree, not because he was aware of this 
prophecy, and wished to fulfill it, but because he 
was an emperor, and desired a census. He simply 
did as he chose. Just here we leave the point. 
Considered practically in its matter-of-fact aspect, 
this subject presents no difficulty. ' It is only when 
we pry into that domain of infinite problems which 
God has not opened to us that we become bewil- 
dered and lost. Let us be content with reverently 
believing what God has been pleased to reveal to 
us ; that will be quite enough for the blissful con- 
templations of an eternity. The secret things be- 
long unto Jehovah our God ; but the things that 
are revealed belong unto us and to our children 
forever, that we may do all the words of this law. 
Duty, not metaphysics, is our rule for life. 

And now let us revert to the story of the na- 
tivity. 

Six miles south of Jerusalem, on a limestone 
ridge, lies the beautiful hamlet of Bethlehem. 
Little as it was among the thousands of Judah, it 
had already earned an illustrious place in Hebrew 
history. Hard by, seventeen centuries before, the 
patriarch Jacob had buried his beloved Rachel, 
and reared a pillar over her grave ; it is called the 
Pillar of Rachel's Tomb to this day. On its em- 



40. 



THE BIETH OF JESUS CHJJIST. H5 

erald slopes, in the field of Boaz, had occurred 

that sacred courtship which makes the story of 

Ruth one of the most exquisite idyls of literature. 

Here had been born the man after God's own 

heart, alike shepherd, musician, poet, soldier, king, 

covenanted ancestor of the Christ. Here Ghim- 2 Sam. xix, 31- 

ham, son of Barzillai the Gileadite, who had shown 

kindness to David in his flight from Absalom, had 

received from the grateful king on his restoration a 

possession, building a caravansary, or khan, known 

as the House of Chimham. And here was bcrn 

the Divine Man, God-with-us. Difficult it is to 

say whether Calvary or Bethlehem is the holiest 

spot on earth ! 

At this venerable hamlet arrived a weary The Manger. 
couple. It is the Galilean artisan and his bride, 
mysteriously pregnant Avith the Holy Ghost. All 
the way from Nazareth have .they come to obey 
Caesar's decree to be enrolled. They are tired and 
footsore. They climb the ridge of Bethlehem, 
and apply for lodgings at the caravansary, it may 
be the very inn which Barzillai's son had built, 
and which was known as the House of Chimham. 
But others are there before them, and the inn is 
full, and they are obliged to turn away. Hard by 
is a cave, one of the numerous limestone caverns 
of Palestine, perhaps used hj the proprietor of 
the inn as a stable. The pangs of maternity seize 
the virgin of Nazareth, and a section of a cave is 
hastily appropriated.* And here, amid the beasts 

* There seems but little reason for rejecting the tradition, as 
old as the time of Justin Martyr, who was born at Shechem, and 
lived less than a century after our Lord — a tradition confirmed by 



116 



THE DIVINE MAX. 



2 Cor. viii, 9. 



Aurelius Cle- 
mens Pruden- 
tius : Fourth 
Century. 



of the stall, the blessed maiden presents to sin- 
cursed humanity its Saviour, even the Divine 
Man, Jehovah's holy Christ, wrapping him in 
swaddling-clothes, and laying him in a manger, 
because there is no room* for them in the inn. 
Meet birthplace was it for him who, though he 
was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we 
through his poverty might become rich. 

Ob, that birth forever blessed, 

When the virgin, full of grace, 
By the Holy Ghost conceiving, 

Bare the Saviour of our race ; 
And the Babe, the world's Bedeemer, 

First revealed his sacred face, 
Evermore and evermore ! 

This is he whom seers in old time 

Chanted of with one accord ; 
"Whom the voices of the prophets 

Promised in their faithful word ; 
Now he shines the long-expected ; 

Let creation praise its Lord : 
Evermore and evermore! 

O ye heights of heaven, adore him ! 

Angel-hosts his praises sing! 
All dominions bow before him 

And extol our God and King : 



Jerome, who spent thirty years of his life in a cavern hard by, 
where he made his translation of the Scriptures known as the Vul- 
gate — that Jesus Christ was born in a cave, and that the present 
Church of the Nativity, founded by the mother of Constantino, 
really domes the site of the holy manger. Few are the persons 
who can enter the Grotto of the Nativity, and, gazing on the sil- 
ver star encircled by sixteen ever-burning lamps, read without a 
thrill of awe the legend : Hie de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus 
natus est. 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 117 

Let no tongue on earth be silent, 

Every voice in concert ring, 

Evermore and evermore ! 

Thee let old men, thee let young men, 

Thee let boys in chorus sing ; 
Matrons, virgins, little maidens, 

With glad voices answering; 
Let their guileless songs re-echo, 

And the heart its praises bring, 
Evermore and evermore! 

Christ! to thee, with God the Father, 

And, O Holy Ghost, to thee ! 
Hymn, and chant, and high thanksgiving, 

And unwearied praises be, 
Honor, glory, and dominion, 

And eternal victory, 
Evermore and evermore. Amen. 

Such is the story of the nativity. Let me 
conclude with three reflections. 

And, first, the birth at Bethlehem consecrated Glorification 
and glorified all infancy. As Athena was fabled of Infanc y- 
to have sprung full-grown and panoplied from 
the cloven brow of Zeus, so the Christ and Son 
of God might have descended into humanity an 
unborn, adult Adam ; for the distance between 
babe and man is infinitely less than the distance 
between man and God. But, no; he descended 
into humanity through the avenue of birth and 
babyhood, coming, like any other infant, under 
the law of growth, and so consecrating all life 
from cradle to grave, hallowing birth as well as 
death. The birth at Bethlehem made babyhood 
a sacred thing. And so the very infancy of 
Jesus is a gospel. It makes every cradle — oh, 



118 THE DIVINE MAN. 

that parents would discern and believe it ! — a 
holy fane. 

Christianity Again: The treatment of the holy family at 
rShCT ta than Bethlehem's inn was a prophecy of the world's 
inned. treatment of Jesus Christ ever since. The Divine 

Child, instead of being comfortably housed, was 
left to be rudely mangered, not because repulse 
was meant, but simply because the inn was already 
full. It is, I repeat, a picture of the world's treat- 
ment of Jesus Christ ever since. It does not re- 
pulse him ; it simply has no room for him ; every 
apartment of the soul is already engaged. There 
are the pre-occupations, for example, of worldly 
cares, wealth, poverty, selfishness, pleasure, sensu- 
ality, fashion, avarice, ambition, self-complacency, 
ritualism, ecclesiasticism, " orthodoxy," family love. 
No rudeness is meant ; but every chamber of the 
soul is already taken and occupied. The inn is 
large, and there is room for every person except 
one, and that is the Babe of Bethlehem, Deity in- 
carnate. Even the Church — the church nominal — 
oftentimes offers but a manger. The world seizes 
the inn ; Christianity must put up with a stable. 

The^ Coming But it shall not always be so. The Son of 
God will descend to earth again. But when he 
does descend again, it will not be as the Divine 
Babe, but as the Divine Man, sitting on the clouds* 
of heaven, escorted by ten thousand times ten 
thousand chariots and all the shining ones of God. 

rhu. ii, 10, 11. Then every knee will bow, of things in heaven 
and things on earth and things under the earth, 
and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ 
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 



Hospitality. 



THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. H9 

Lift up your heads, O ye gates : Psalm s: 

And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors: 
And the King of glory shall come in. 

Who is this King of glory ? 

Jehovah of hosts, 

He is the King of glory. 

Ay, the Word made flesh, the Babe of Beth- 
lehem, the Divine Man, Immanuel, He is the King 
of glory. 

Almighty God, who hast given us thy only begotten Collect. 
Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be 
born of a pure virgin ; Graut that we being regenerate, and 
made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be 
renewed by thy Holy Spirit ; through the same our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the 
same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. 



THE TWO GENEALOGIES OF JESUS 
CHRIST. 

Matthew i, 1-17 ; Luke iii, 23-38. 

The genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the 
son of Abraham. 

Matthew i, 1. 

Being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, . . . the 

son of Adam, the son of God. 

Luke iii, 23-38. 



11 



IX. 



THE TWO GENEALOGIES OF JESUS 
CHRIST. 

Matthew i, 1-17 ; Luke iii, 23-38. 

The average American cares little for geneal- Jewish Pride 
ogy. Our country is too young ; it has been set- 
tled by too many emigrating families ; the inter- 
marriage between their descendants has been too 
free ; the vicissitudes of fortune have been too 
frequent and extreme ; the distance between the 
average man and the great man has been too 
small ; the rejection of the Old World principle 
of primogeniture has been too complete ; the re- 
sources of the country are too abounding ; the 
confidence of the people in "manifest destiny" 
has been too glowing — to permit, with here and 
there an exception, any special passion for the pres- 
ervation of pedigrees. Not so with the civilized 
nations beyond the deep. Their inspiration is 
largely the inspiration of the past. Their treas- 
ures are the treasures of antique relics ; their songs 
the songs of auld lang syne ; their constitutions 
the constitutions of precedents ; their authorities 
the authorities of traditions ; their customs the 



124 THE DIVINE MAN. 

customs of immemorial mintages. Moreover, the 
facts that primogeniture has been in large part the 
law of inheritance for the ancient world, and that 
each of the nations, in most instances, owes or 
supposes it owes its origin to a single and conspic- 
uous founder, escorted by a brilliant court, have 
tended to cultivate the genealogical instinct. 
Hence, the many family-trees and heraldries and 
muniment-rooms of our motherland, the venerable 
Celtic clans perpetuated from generation to gener- 
ation, the ancient patronymics of Greece and 
Rome. But nowhere was this passion for preserv- 
ing pedigrees so intense as among the ancient 
Jews. And nowhere with so good reason : for to 
them, from Abraham onward, had been promised 
the peerless honor of giving birth to the Divine 
Deliverer. Hence the jealous care with which 
they guarded their tables of lineage; witness, for 
example, the genealogical registers of the books 
of the Chronicles and of Ezra. Accordingly, when 
Caesar Augustus issued his decree that all the 
world should be enrolled, and all went to enroll 
themselves, every one to his own city — that is, the 
city of his family ancestor — Joseph also went up 
from Nazareth of Galilee to the city of David, 
which was called Bethlehem, knowing, doubtless 
from the official registry, that he was of the house 
and family of David, to enroll himself with Mary, 
his betrothed. This hope of being the ancestor of 
the promised Messiah, cherished by every family 
of the Abraham ic race, and especially of the Da- 
vidic stock, was the majestic hope which, alike 
in prosperity and in adversity, in independence 



THE TWO GENEALOGIES OF JESUS CHRIST. 125 

and in captivity, tended to keep the Hebrew 
pedigree in unbroken continuity from Abraham 
to Jesus. 

Two genealogies have been bequeathed to us The Two Gen- 
under guidance of the Holy Spirit : the first by ealo 8 ies - 
the apostle Matthew, which is a descending and Matt, i, i-ir. 
Jewish pedigree, tracing the lineage of Jesus 
from Abraham downward ; the second by the 
evangelist Luke, which is an ascending and hu- Luke m, 23-38. 
man pedigree, tracing the lineage of Jesus up- 
ward through Abraham to Adam. Nor is this 
to be wondered at, for Matthew wrote his memoir 
for the Jews, hence his genealogy is Abrahamic ; 
whereas, Luke wrote his memoir for Jews and 
Gentiles, hence his genealogy is Abrahamic and 
Adamic. 

ISTow, when we come to compare these two The Pedigrees 
genealogies in detail, we find differences which, Dis^rcpan/ 
let it be honestly confessed, are somewhat difficult Really Con- 
to reconcile. For example, Luke inserts some 
names which Matthew omits; again, from the 
time of David downward, the corresponding names 
in the two tables do not agree. The enemies of 
Christianity have seized on these variations as 
points of elaborate assault. And no wonder, for 
the apparent weakness at this point of the Chris- 
tian citadel does seem to invite attack. Neverthe- 
less, I believe that these difficulties have been 
greatly overrated, and that they will, in the main, 
vanish before an honestly conducted, searching 
examination. Various methods of solution have 
been proposed. They may be reduced to two. 
The first is this : Both genealogies are genealogies 



cordant. 



126 THE DIVINE MAN. 

of Joseph, the supposed father of Jesus, Matthew 
giving the legal or royal pedigree from David 
along the regal line of Solomon, and Luke giving 
the personal or actual pedigree along the private 
or collateral line of Nathan. This is the view of 
Alford, Calvin, Ellicott, Fairbairn, Farrar, Faus- 
set, Geilrie, Hervey, Mansel, Meyer, Mill, West- 
cott, Winer, Wordsworth, etc. The second theory 
is this : Matthew gives the genealogy of Joseph, 
and Luke the genealogy of Mary, both being de- 
scendants of David — the one along the royal line 
of Solomon, the other along the private line of 
Nathan. This is the view of Alexander, Andrews, 
Auberlen, Bengel, Broadus, Ebrard, Gardiner, Go- 
det, Grotius, Kitto, Kurtz, Lange, Lightfoot, Lu- 
ther, Neander, Oishausen, Plumptre, Kobinson, 
Schaff, Strong, Wieseler, Weiss, etc. On the 
whole, the latter seems to be the better theory. 
But, in light of either of these methods, most of 
the difficulties vanish. Nor should it be forgotten 
— for it is a point of supreme importance in tech- 
nical matters of this kind — that we do not have 
the advantage here of contemporaneous light. 
There is no evidence that these tables occasioned 
any difficulty in the first century of the Christian 
era. Had there been any real discrepancy between 
these two pedigrees, we may be sure that the con- 
temporaries of the sacred biographers, with the 
public registries of Palestine doubtless at com- 
mand, would have detected it, and the enemies of 
Christianity, from the very beginning watching 
for flaws, would have made the most of it. Since 
then, centuries have rolled away, and facts and 



THE TWO GENEALOGIES OF JESUS CHRIST. 127 

explanations which were in possession of contem- 
poraries are forever lost. Surely no one would 
venture to say that our ignorance is the circumfer- 
ence of truth. But let us not dwell too long on 
this aspect of the matter, lest peradventure we dis- 
regard the apostle's injunction, not to give heed i Tim. i, 4. 
to endless genealogies, the which minister ques- 
tionings rather than a dispensation of God, which 
is in faith. 

And yet in these very genealogies of Jesus Suggestions of 
Christ there are hinted profound truths well og !, enea " 
worthy of our most serious consideration. Let us 
rapidly glance at some of them. 

And, first, the fact that there is any gene- The Genealo- 
alogy at all is significant. For it is conceivable ^ Christ's 
that the Son of God might have descended into Manhood, 
the world an unborn Gabriel, or a full-grown, 
unmothered Adam. But when we read such 
words as the opening verse of the New Testament, 
" The book of the generation [genesis, birth-rec- Matt, i, 1. 
ord, pedigree] of Jesus Christ, the son of David, 
the son of Abraham," we feel that the Son of 
God has indeed become the Son of man — the 
Word has indeed become flesh, bone of our bones 
and flesh of our flesh. Let us thank God, then, 
that he moved his evangelists to give us these 
pedigrees ; for the simple fact that there is any 
pedigree at all puts Jesus Christ into the category 
of man. 

Again, observe the pedigree itself. How many Vicissitudes of 
and striking its vicissitudes ! How thrilling some 
of its names ! How momentous some of the 
events it recalls ! Glance for a moment at some 



ogy. 



128 THE DIVINE MAN. 

of these peculiarities. For example, how profound 
the obscurity and hinted shame which rested over 
Bethlehem's manger, as suggested by the evangel- 
Luke iii, 23. ist's comment : " Being, as was supposed, the son 
of Joseph." How homely his descent, as indi- 
cated by the fact that eighteen of his immediate 
ancestors are unknown except by name ! How 
illustrious his descent, as indicated in such names 
as Zerubbabel, Josiah, Hezekiah, Jekoshaphat, 
Solomon, David, Boaz, Jacob, Abraham, Noah, 
Enoch, Seth, Adam ! What dark scenes in He- 
brew history are recalled by such names as Jehoi- 
achin, Amon, Manasseh, Ahaz, Jehoram, Beho- 
boam, Bathsheba, Tamar ! How thrilling the 
vicissitudes of David's line, as vibrating in the 
stories of Behoboam, Joash, Esther, the Macca- 
bees, the Virgin Mary ! "Verily, the genealogy of 
Jesus Christ is a book of startling providences. 
And it is a significant fact that, since the birth of 
the Divine Man, the Davidic pedigree has been 
hopelessly lost, so that none but Jesus of Beth- 
lehem can claim from the Hebrew genealogical 
tables to be David's promised son, and so David's 
Lord, even Jehovah's very Christ. But Jesus 
Christ was not only the son of David and the son 
of Abraham, he was also the son of Adam — even 



Gen. iii, 15. 



by the gates of Eden, would crush the serpent's 
head. Thus, the genealogy of Jesus Christ in- 
cludes all extremes and all vicissitudes, so that he 
is in very truth the Son of man. And not only is 
he the Son of man, he is also the Son of God. I 
never read the closing words of Luke's account of 



THE TWO GENEALOGIES OF JESUS CHRIST. 129 

the genealogy without a thrill of awe at the re- 
membrance of my august paternity : " The son of Luke m, 38. 
Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son 
of God." And both the Adams were, so to speak, 
born of the Holy Ghost : Into the first Adam, Je- Gen. a, 7. 
hovah God breathed his own Spirit, or breath ; 
and upon the mother of the second Adam the Luke 1,35. 
Holy Spirit came, and the power of the Most 
High overshadowed. 

Such are some of the meaningful peculiarities 
of this most wonderful genealogy. 

Lastly, the genealogy of Jesus Christ is the Christ's Gcn- 
oldest in the world. Men think it a great thing to oldest *in 
have an ancient lineage. But here is a lineage the World, 
which is older than that of William of ISTorniandy, 
or Romulus, or Priam, or Nimrod, or Adam. 
Verily, his goings forth have been from of old — Micah v, 2. 
from the days of eternity. Verily, here is the 
Ancient of Days. Ah ! the true heraldry is the 
device of the Lamb slain from the foundation of 
the world ; the true shield is the crimson escutch- 
eon of the Cross. 

Dost thou, O friend, belong to the lineage of A Momentous 
Jesus Christ ? If so, thy name has already been 10n ' 

entered in the heavenly register, even the Lamb's 
roll of life. Like Jesus Christ himself, thou art 
not only a son of Adam, thou art also a son of 
God. Live, then, worthily of thy sonship. And 
so, when he who is our life shall appear, thou also coi. m, 4. 
shalt appear with him in glory. 

O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might Collect, 
destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons of 



130 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



God and heirs of eternal life ; Grant us, we beseech thee, 
that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he 
is pure ; that, when he shall appear again with power and 
great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal 
and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and 
thee, Holy Ghost, he liveth and reigneth, ever one God, 
world without end. Amen. 






THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE 
SHEPHERDS. 

Luke ii, 8-20. 



Praise ye him, all his 
Praise ye him, all his host. 

Psalm cxlviii, 2. 



X. 

THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEP- 
HERDS. 

Luke ii, 8-20. 

On the night Jesus Christ was bora, shep- The Lowly 
herds were abiding in a field, keeping watch Watchers. 
over their flock. It was and still is a common u e "' 
Oriental scene. Nightly exposed to the ravages 
of the jackal, and wolf, and robber, flocks need 
the watchful protection of shepherds. And meet 
it was that, when annunciation was to be made of 
the birth of him who is the Shepherd and Bishop 
of souls, — leading them forth as his flock, calling 
each of them by name, guarding them against 
prowlers, laying down his life for them, going 
after the lost ones, carrying the lambs in his bos- 
om, himself Lamb as well as Shepherd — that 
annunciation should be made first of all, not to 
king in palace or high-priest in temple, not to 
Pharisee in synagogue or rabbi in sanhedrin, but 
to shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch 
over their flock by night. 

And, lo, an angel of the Lord stood by them, The Dazziinc 
and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, t ^PP^ rition - 
and they were sore afraid. And no wonder ; for 



1 Peter ii, 25. 
John x, 1-16. 



Luke ii, 9. 



134 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Exodus iii, 3. 
Exodus xix, 16. 



Psalm lxxx, 1. 



Exod. xl, ; 



2 Chron. 
14. 



tlie phenomenon was most extraordinary. Who 
the angel was, we are not told. Quite probably it 
was the same angel who had already made annun- 
ciation to Zacharias in the temple, to Mary at Naz- 
areth, to Joseph in his slumber — even the same 
Gabriel, Strength of God, who, five centuries be- 
fore, had made annunciation to the exile by the 
Ulai. The glory of the Lord which shone round 
about these shepherds was doubtless that same mi- 
raculous effulgence in which Deity had been wont 
in the earlier ages to enshrine himself, and which 
the rabbins called the Shechinah. Diversified as 
well as extraordinary were the appearances of that 
Shechinah in ancient days. It had gleamed as a 
flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way 
of the tree of life ; it had flickered as a lambent 
flame in the brier-bush of Horeb ; it had hung as 
a stupendous canopy over the mountain of the 
Jaw ; it had hovered as a glittering cloud above 
the cherubim overshadowing the mercy-seat ; it 
had marshaled the hosts of Israel for forty years, 
towering like a pillar of cloud by day and like a 
pillar of fire by night ; it had filled the temple of 
Solomon, flooding it with a brightness so intense 
that the priests could not enter to minister ; it was 
to be the radiant cloud which should enfold out of 
sight the ascending Lord ; it will be the great 
white throne on which that ascended Lord will 
descend when he returns in the pomp of his sec- 
ond advent. But never had it served a purpose 
so august and blissful as on this most memorable 
of nights when, after centuries of eclipse, it sud- 
denly reappeared and shone around the astonished 






Luke ii, 10, 11. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 135 

shepherds. Well might the effulgent cloud now 
return, as though in glad homage to the incarna- 
tion ; for on this night is born he who is to be his 
own Church's true pillar of fire- cloud, to marshal 
her through sea and wilderness into the true prom- 
ised land. Oh, since the day was as the night Matt, xsvii, 45. 
when Jesus Christ died, let us be grateful that 
the night was as the day when Jesus Christ was 
born. 

And the angel said unto them, " Be not afraid ; The Heavenly 
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy t i van ^ "^ 
which shall be to all the people : for there is born 
to you this clay in the city of David a Saviour, 
which is Christ the Lord." Hitherto Gabriel has 
announced only prophetically, now he announces 
historically. And well may he call his annuncia- 
tion an evangel : " I announce to you an evangel 
of great joy." Yes, angels were the first evangel- 
ists. But what is the evangel which the angel 
brings to these Hebrew shepherds % Even this : the 
accomplishment of an ancient, oft-repeated, most 
precious prophecy. For ages One, who was to be 
in the eminent sense Cod's Anointed, had been the 
glowing theme of rite and symbol, of prophecy 
and oracle, of statute and song. And now after 
centuries of waiting, when expectation has almost 
died into despair, the announcement is suddenly 
made that the long-yearned-for Messiah has actu- 
ally come : " Lo, I bring you good tidings of great 
joy, which shall be to all the people : for this day, 
in the city of David, there hath been born to you 
a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord." Yer- 
ily, the annunciation was an evangel. 



136 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Immanuel's 
Twofold 
Sign. 

Luke ii, 12. 



A Babe. 



But where shall we find this mighty Deliver- 
er ? How shall we know him when we see him % 
What mark does he bear? Sorely he will be 
found in some stately palace, with angel-courtiers 
kneeling before him, the scepter in his hand, the 
sword on his thigh, Godhead gleaming on his 
brow. Ah, no ; listen to the angel's words : " And 
this is the sign unto you, ye shall find a babe 
wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a man- 
ger." This, then, is the credential that a Divine 
Saviour has come into the world. Let us note it 
particularly. The sign is twofold. 

The first sign is this : " Ye shall find a babe 
wrapped in swaddling clothes." The Christ of 
God might have descended an archangel, glitter- 
ing with celestial emblazonry. He might have 
descended a full-grown man, having the stature of 
a son of Anak, and the strength of the son of Ma- 
noah. He might have descended a king confessed, 
the government visibly on his shoulder, the dia- 
dem on his brow, the perpetual hills bowing before 
him, the empires yielding him tribute. He might 
have descended a sage, rich in the lore of all an- 
tiquity, human and seraphic. But no ; he descend- 
ed a little, helpless infant, wrapped, like any other 
new-born babe of earth, in swaddling clothes. 
And this is the sign that he is the Saviour of the 
world, the Christ of Jehovah, " very God of very 
God." And it is a sign as powerful as simple. 
Had he descended otherwise, we might not have 
believed so easily in the reality of the incarnation. 
We might have said that he was an angel. But 
when we behold him a helpless little babe, we feel 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS. IS7 

that the incarnation was no acting — no phantom. 
We feel that Deity has in very trnth come down 
within our sphere, linking his fortunes with ours, 
taking our life, like ourselves, at its germ as well 
as at its fruit, sharing with us the cradle as well as 
the grave, the swaddling clothes of Mary of Beth- 
lehem as well as the burial linen of Joseph of Ari- 
mathea. Of him it can be said in deepest truth, 
although not precisely in the sense the poet meant : 

Heaven lies about its in our infancy. William Words- 

worth. 

His power as King of men dates from his cradle. 

He was horn King of the Jews. Matt, a, 2. 

Thy people are free-will offerings in the day of thy power ; Psalm ex, 3. 
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, 
Thou hast the dew of thy youth. 

But the angel gives a second sign : " Lying in Lying in a 
a manger." ISTot, then, in choice apartments of anger ' 
an inn, not in sumptuous nurseries of the opulent, 
not in palaces of royalty, was the King of kings 
and Lord of lords to be cradled ; but in a crib, 
amid the beasts of the stall. And this was to be 
one of the secrets of his kinghood. In fact, all 
society is built up from below.* It is pre-emi- 
nently true of the ISTazarene, and the ISTazarene's 

* " The roof is more dependent upon the foundation than the 
foundation upon the roof. Nearly all, if not quite all, the move- 
ments which have changed the thinking and determined the new 
courses of the world have been upward, not downward. The 
great revolutionists have generally been cradled in mangers, and 
gone through rough discipline in early life. Civilization is debtor 
to lowly cradles, and unknown mothers hold a heavy account 
against the wcrld." — " Ecce Deus," by Joseph Parker, D. D. 



138 



TEE DIVIKE MAN. 



1 Cor. i, 26-29. 



religion, and the Nazarene's ehureh. The men 
that have turned the world upside down, bringing 
things to pass that are contrary to the decrees of 
Csesar, saying that there is another King, one 
Jesus, are not the wise, and the mighty, and the 
noble of earth, but the foolish, and the weak, and 
the despised — Galilean fishermen and Corinthian 
tent-makers, Mansfeld street-singers and North- 
amptonshire cobblers. The mightiest Revolution- 
ist of the ages, rising up against the empire of 
isaiah lxiii, i-3. darkness and toppling it, coming up with dyed 
garments from Bozrah, glorious in his apparel, 
marching in the greatness of his strength, was 
born, not in a damask-lined cradle, but in a straw- 
littered manger. The world's throne to-day is the 
crib of Bethlehem's stable. 



Kobert South- 
well. 



This stable is a Prince's court, 

The crib his chair of state ; 
The beasts are parcel of his pomp, 

The wooden dish his plate. 

The persons in that poor attire 

His royal liveries wear ; 
The Prince himself has come from heaven ; 

This pomp is praised there. 

With joy approach, O Christian wight ; 

Do homage to thy King ; 
And highly praise this humble pomp, 

"Which he from heaven doth bring. 

These, then, are the signs by which the shep- 
herds should know the Divine Deliverer that had 
come into the world : first, they would find a 
babe ; and, secondly, they would find that babe in 
a manger. 



Son£ 
Luke ii, 13, 14. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 139 

And suddenly there was with them a multi- The Angel 
tude of the heavenly host praising God, and 
saying : 

Glory to God in the highest, 

And on earth peace among men in whom he is well 

pleased. 

It was the first Gloria in Excelsis. Not that 
it was the first time that the heavenly host had 
descended, and joined in exultant song. When 
the Maker of heaven and earth fastened the foun- Jobssxviii.e.r. 
dations of the universe and laid its corner-stone, 
the morning stars sang together, and all the sons 
of God shouted for joy. But how different that 
song from this ! Then they sang God's skill and 
might as Creator — the order and beauty of his fair 
work ; now they sing God's righteousness and love 
as Redeemer — the peace and good- will of his grace. 
Then they sang creation by Christ ; now they sing 
creation in Christ and for Christ. Then they sang 
a heaven and earth that shall be dissolved in fer- 2 Peter m, 10-13. 
vent heat ; now they sing a new heaven and earth 
that shall abide forever. Nay, the Church of the 
living God, raised to the superior throne whence 
she shall judge angels themselves, is graced 1 cor. vi, 3. 
with a song nobler than the song of Bethlehem's 
angels, even this : The making known to the prin- Epn. m, 9-11. 
cipalities and powers in the heavenly places the 
dispensation of the mystery which from all ages 
had been hidden in God, even his manifold wis- 
dom, according to the eternal purpose which he 
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the 
true Gloria in Excelsis, an anthem in which not 



140 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



even angels can join. With millions of living 
Christians, and myriads of sainted dead of many a 
century past, let us also take up the psean-prayer, 
and echo it each for himself : 

Gloria in Ex- Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, good-will 
celsis. toward men ! We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship 

thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee, for thy great 
glory, O Lord God, heavenly Zing, God the Father Al- 
mighty. 

.0 Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesus Christ; O Lord 
God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the 
sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest 
away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou 
that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. 
Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have 
mercy upon us. 

For thou only art holy; thou only the Lord ; thou only, 
O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory 
of God the Father. Amen. 



Pax in Terras. 



"Hymn on the 
Nativity." 



But the angels' song was not only a Gloria in 
Excelsis, it was also a Pax in TerrcB : "On earth 
peace, good-will toward men ! " It is the peace 
of God's reconciliation to man, the peace of man's 
reconciliation to God, the peace of man's recon- 
ciliation to himself, the peace of man's reconcilia- 
tion to his fellow-man. The angels' song was the 
prelude to the reign of the Prince of Peace. Ay, 
then came down 

The meek-eyed Peace : 
She, crowned with green, came softly sliding 

Down through the turning sphere, 

His ready harbinger, 

With turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing ; 

And waving wide her myrtle wand, 

She strikes a universal peace through sea and land. 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 141 

No war or battle's sound 
Was heard the world around ; 

The idle spear and shield were high up hung ; 
The hooked chariot stood 
Unstained with hostile blood ; 

The trumpet spake not to the armed throng ; 
And kings sat still with awful eye, 
As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by. 



Yea, Truth and Justice then 
Will down return to men, 

Orb'd in a rainbow ; and, like glories wearing, 
Mercy will sit between, 
Throned in celestial sheen, 

With radiant feet the tissued clouds down steering; 
And Heaven, as at some festival, 
Will open wide the gates of her high palace-hall. 

Does this seem a still unfulfilled prophecy ? 
Yes, if we take note only of the wars and rumors 
of wars that ever and anon startle the world. Yes, 
if we recall our own desolating civil strife, when 
fort and battle-line so often boomed forth death, 
and bayonets quenched their gleam in blood. Yes, 
if we remember the discords and sorrows of socie- 
ty — its tiger-voiced denunciations and serpent- 
hissed insinuations, its ruptured friendships and 
partitioned homes. When we remember all this, 
who is not disheartened, fearing that the promised 
day of peace is still as distant as on the night the 
angel-song surged on Bethlehem's air ? 

Trust not, then, in man, nor put your confi- psaim cxvio, 
dence in princes. From the battle-fields of war- 
riors, with their garments rolled in blood, from 
cabinet and forum, scar into that purer, diviner 



8,9. 



142 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



realm where trie ambassadors of the Prince of 
Peace hold high court. Ah ! here is the secret 
of the world's true reconciliation and immortal 
amity. What no earthly force — legislative, ex- 
ecutive, judicial, international, academic, aesthetic 
— lias ever been able to accomplish, or ever can 
accomplish, the Church of the Babe of Beth- 
lehem, without staff, or purse, or sword, can, 
with the blessing of her Chief, serenely achieve. 
Marching under the banner of the Prince of 
Peace, repeating his precepts, breathing his spirit, 
reproducing his graces, feeling and illustrating 
in daily life his manifold loves, the Church of 
the Beatitudes will yet girdle earth with the shin- 
ing zone of love, and then shall 



Tennyson's 
" Golden 
Year." 



all men's good 
Be each man's rule, and universal Peace 
Lie like a shaft of light across the land, 
And like a lane of beams athwart the sea, 
Through all the circle of the Golden Year. 



Epn. ii, 11-22. For Jesus Christ is our peace, making all men 
one, breaking down all walls of partition between 
them, blending them all into one new man in him- 
self, reconciling all into one body in the blood 
of his cross, slaying thereon the enmity. The 
Divine Man is the world's true pacificator, the 
peace-making Prince. The manger is the true 
solvent of humanity. 



Longfellow's 
"Arsenal at 
Springfield." 



Down the dark future, through long generations, 
The echoing sounds grow fainter, and then cease 

And like a bell, with solemn, sweet vibrations, 
I hear once mere the voice of Christ say, Peace ! 



THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE SHEPHERDS. 143 

Peace ! and no loDger from its brazen portals 
The blast of war's huge organ shakes the skies ; 

But, beautiful as songs of the immortals, 
The melodies of love arise. 

Such was the angel's annunciation, and such 
the attestation of the angelic choir. And now let 
us return to the shepherds. 

JSTo sooner had the heavenly host ascended to The Rustic 
their home than the wondering shepherds ex- Adoption, 
claimed, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, n " ei1 ' 
and see this thing that is come to pass, which the 
Lord hath made known unto us." It is the curi- 
osity of faith, not of doubt. And they hasten, 
night though it still is, and, lo, all that the angel 
had said is true : they find both Mary and Joseph, 
and the Babe lying in the manger. And they 
adore. The scene has been an immortal theme for 
music and art. But the shepherds are not content 
with simple verification of the angel-given sign : 
they make known abroad what they had heard 
and seen concerning this wondrous Child. Next 
to angels, shepherds were the first evangel- 
ists. And so they returned to their nightly watch 
over their flock, glorifying and praising God for 
all the things that they had heard and seen, even 
as it had been spoken unto them. But Mary, the Luke i, 42. 
blessed among women, the virgin-mother, might 
not speak of these ineffable things ; enough that 
she could ponder them in her heart. Such is the 
story of the annunciation to the shepherds. 

O thou only-begotten Son of God, Light of Light, God Collect, 
of God, very God of very God, who, in the fullness of time, 
wast made flesh, and didst take upon thyself all our sins and 



144 THE DIVINE MAN. 

infirmities, that we might have salvation from sin and eter- 
nal life in thee : we bless thee for thy holy incarnation ; 
and with the multitude of angels who proclaimed thy 
birth, and with thy people among all nations, we unite 
in singing : 

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good- 
will toicard men. Amen. 



THE CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS 
CHRIST. 

Luke ii, 21. 

This is my covenant, which ye shall kaep, between me 
and you and thy seed after thee; every male among you 
shall be circumcised. 

Genesis xvii, 10. 



XI. 

THE CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Luke ii, 21. 

The august promise of many a century has at The Circum- 
cision. 

John i, 1, 14. 



length been fulfilled. The Word, who in the be- 



ginning was and was with God and was God, has 
become flesh, having been divinely conceived in Luke i, 35. 
Nazareth of Galilee, and humanly born in Beth- Luke ii, 7. 
lehem of Judea. And now, seven days having Luke u, 21. 
elapsed since the holy birth, the Divine Babe, in 
accordance with Jehovah's commandment in his Genesis xvii. 
covenant with Abraham, is duly circumcised. By 
that rite he is officially enrolled as a member of 
the Hebrew nationality, and, as such, entitled to 
all the privileges and prerogatives belonging to a 
son of the Covenant. 

But why, we can not help asking, must he, Reason of the 
who came to be the propitiation, not only for Cireumc ^ n - 
the sins of the Jew, but also for the sins of the 
whole world, be subjected to a rite so intensely 
Jewish ? Let Holy Scripture itself answer : 
When the fullness of the time came, God sent Gai. iv, 4, 5. 
forth his Son, born of a woman, born under 
the law, that he might redeem them who were 
under the law, that we might receive the adoption 
of sons. God in his wisdom saw fit to prepare 



148 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Heb 


ii, 17. 


Rom 


. xv, 8-12. 


The True Cir- 
cumcision. 


Heb 


ii, 9. 


Col. 


ii, 14. 


Gal. 


iii, 28. 


Col. 


iii, 11. 



Rom. ii, 28, 29. 



a lost world for its Saviour through the separation 
and training of the Jewish nation — through the 
rites and symbols, the ordinances and prophecies 
of the Jewish economy. Hence it behooved the 
Saviour of the world in all things to be made like 
unto his brethren. Accordingly, he became a Jew, 
and a minister of the circumcision for the truth 
of God, in order to save both Jew and Gentile. 

But the Jewish economy was not to last for- 
ever. Jesus Christ, having accomplished the 
work which the Father had given him to do, hav- 
ing by the grace of God tasted death for every 
man, has forever blotted out the bond written in 
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary 
to us, and taken it out of the way, nailing it to 
the cross. Henceforth there is in him neither 
Jew nor Gentile, neither circumcision nor uncir- 
cumcision, neither Greek nor Scythian, neither 
male nor female ; but all are one in Christ ; and 
Christ is all, and in all. Henceforth the true cir- 
cumcision is inward. And so is fulfilled the apos- 
tle's saying : " He is not a Jew, who is one 
outwardly ; neither is that circumcision, which is 
outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew, who is one 
inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, 
in the spirit, not in the letter ; whose praise is not 
of men, but of God." 



Collect. Almighty God, who mad est thy blessed Son to be cir- 

cumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the 
true Circumcision of the Spirit; that our hearts, and all our 
members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, 
we may in all things obey tby blessed will; through the 
same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS 
CHRIST. 

Luke ii, 22-24. 

Sanctify unto me all the first-born. 

Exodus xiii, 2. 



XII. 

THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS CUEIST. 

Luke ii, 22-24. 

Fokty days having now elapsed since the holy The Presenta- 
birth, Joseph and Mary take the little Jesns — for tlon ; 
so had they named him, in obedience to the twice- Matt. 1 21 • 
given direction of Gabriel — and carry him up to Luke *> 31 - 
Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as required 
by the law of Moses. What a wonderful scene ! 
" The Lord of the temple presented in the temple Bonaventura. 
to the Lord ! " And yet there is no reason to 
suppose that the presentation excited any general 
interest. When the priest saw the lowly carpenter 
and his wife entering the temple court, bringing 
their little One, and the prescribed offering of a 
pair of turtle-doves, to do for him according to 
the custom of the law, he saw what doubtless 
seemed to him but an every-day occurrence. When, 
having offered the turtle doves, and gone through 
the prescribed routine, he pronounced the little 
Stranger, still in swaddling clothes and fresh from 
the manger, a duly enrolled son of Abraham, he 
doubtless felt that he had done a very common- 
place thing. And yet he had done a tremendous 
thing. He had sounded the death knell of the 



152 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Mosaic dispensation and of his own priesthood : 
for the little Babe, whom he has just declared to 
be a member of the Jewish commonwealth, is 
none other than he for whom the Jewish common- 
wealth had been the divinely ordained prepara- 
tion, and who in due time shall be seen to be the 
world's sole and true and everlasting Priest. 

Joseph and Mary in presenting the infant 
Jesus to the Lord observed two Mosaic ordinances. 

Purification of The first was the purification of the mother 

the Mother. f rom legal or ceremonial uncleanness as set forth 

in the twelfth chapter of the book of Leviticus. 

"We need not go into particulars. Enough to be 

reminded that the ordinance required among other 

Lev. xii, 8. things the sacrifice of a lamb of the first year, or, 
in case of poverty, the sacrifice of two young 
pigeons ; the one for a sin-offering, the other for 
a burnt-offering. Thus it was in humble Mary's 
case. Yet she brought the very costliest of sacri- 

johm i, 29. fices, even the Lamb of God, who taketh away 
the sin of the world. But how profound our 
Saviour's humiliation ! What could more touch- 
ingly set forth his utter abasement than this fact 
of his mother's purification according to the law 

Rom. viii, 2. of Moses ! Yerily, God sent forth his Son in the 
likeness of sinful flesh. 

Redemption of The other prescribed rite was the redemption 
bora FUSt " °^ ^ e -^le Child from priestly service as being 
his mother's first-born. "When Jehovah destroyed 
all the first-born of Egypt and spared all the first- 
born of Israel, he ordained that that unexampled 

Eso. sin, n-16. night should be kept in everlasting remembrance 
by the consecration of the first-born of every 






THE PRESENTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 153 

Israelite to his own special service. When in pro- 
cess of time the tribe of Levi had been specially 
set apart to the priesthood, he allowed the first- Num. xviii, in- 
born of the other tribes to be redeemed from the 
priestly service by the presentation of them in the 
tabernacle and the payment of five shekels into 
the treasury. Thus was Jesus, as the first-born of Luke a, 7. 
Mary, redeemed from priestly service, although 
he himself was the world's only true Priest. 
Thus it behooved him in all things to be made like ueb. ii, 17. 
unto his brethren, that he might become a merci- 
ful and faithful High-Priest in things pertaining 
to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the 
people. 

Almighty and ever-living God, we humbly beseech thy Collect. 
Majesty, that as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented 
in the temple in substance of our flesh, so we may be pre- 
sented unto thee with pure and clean hearts, by the 
thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 



THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND 

ANNA. 

Luke ii, 25-38. 

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: 

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets 

of Jerusalem, 
Every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 
And the streets of the city shall he full of boys and girls 
Playing in the streets thereof. 

Zechariah viii, 4, 5. 



XIII. 

THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND ANNA. 

Lcke ii, 23-8S. 

"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, The Saintly 
whose name was Simeon : and this man was right- T , ara f ter - 

<=> Luke 11, 25. 

eous and devout, looking for the consolation of 
Israel : and the Holy Spirit was upon him." Brief 
as this description is, it sets the aged Simeon be- 
fore us in a clear and most engaging light. First, 
he was "righteous and devout," a conscientious 
and strict worshiper according to the rites of 
Judaism. Like his contemporaries Zacharias and 
Elisabeth, he was righteous before God, walking Luke i, 6. 
in all the commandments and ordinances of 
the Lord blameless. Again, he was "looking 
for the consolation of Israel." A choice spirit 
was Simeon in that Sadducean age, earnestly 
believing in the long-promised Redeemer, and 
yearning for his advent. Nor was his yearning 
unsatistied. In his own case was literally fulfilled 
the last prophet's memorable prediction : 

Behold, I send ray messenger, Malacki iii, l. 

And he shall prepare the way before me : 
And the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly cometo his temple; 
And the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, 
Behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts. 
14 



Revelation. 



158 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Iii like manner will the consolation of Israel sud- 
Heb. ix, 28. denly return, when he shall appear a second time, 
apart from sin, for the salvation of those who, 
like Simeon, are looking for him. Once more : 
"The Holy Spirit was upon" Simeon; that is to 
say, he was in a marked degree the subject of the 
Spirit's influence. He was emphatically a child of 
the Spirit. And so, to sum it all up, Simeon, like 
Gen. v, 24. ancient Enoch, walked with God ; and, although 
he was not translated, yet he received a still richer 
blessing ; for he was permitted to gaze with the 
eyes of the flesh on the long-expected Messiah of 
Jehovah. 
The Gracious " And it had been revealed unto him by the 
Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he 
had seen the Lord's Christ." This pre-intimation, 
be it observed, was not a mere presentiment ; it 
was a direct revelation by the Holy Spirit. Yet, 
if Simeon had been questioned about it any time 
before this memorable clay in the temple, I doubt 
whether he would have affirmed that he was con- 
scious of having received any distinctively super- 
natural communication. He probably would have 
answered : " I have a strong conviction that I shall 
not die until I behold the consolation of Israel." 
However this may have been, I believe that some- 
thing like this has often occurred in the history 
of the Church, and may often occur again. Al- 
though the Holy Spirit is a supernatural being, 
yet, generally speaking, he acts so naturally on 
our feelings and expectations that we are not dis- 
tinctly conscious of being under his influence. 
Who shall venture to affirm that those strong pre- 



THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND ANNA. 159 

sentiments which we sometimes have — for example, 
concerning the conversion of children or kindred, 
or the restoration to health and home of far distant 
sick friends — may not be intimations to us by that 
Holy One who is emphatically the comforter and 
teacher and guide and helper and inspirer of his 
people ? If the Holy Spirit can act on us in re- 
spect to duty, as we believe he does, why can not 
he act on us in respect to desire and foresight ? 
But let us not imagine that every presentiment is 
his impulse. How often are our saintliest and in- 
tensest expectations disappointed ! Blessed are 
we if, like the patriarchs, we die as well as live in neb. si, 13. 
faith, although we have not received the promised 
blessings, but only seen them, and' greeted them 
from afar. In all events, no one who has ever 
heard the glad tidings need die before he has in 
the truest sense seen the Lord's Christ. God grant 
that we may all be sealed with the Holy Spirit of Eph. i, 13, u. 
promise, which is an earnest of our inheritance, 
unto the redemption of God's own possession, 
unto the praise of his glory. 

" And he came in the Spirit into the temple." The Divine 
The Holy Spirit then not only revealed to Simeon m P u se - 
that he would not die before he had seen Jeho- 
vah's Anointed : the Holy Spirit also prompted 
Simeon to visit the temple the precise hour the 
Divine Babe was to be brought in. Ah, little do 
we imagine how many of the blessed coincidences 
of life are really arranged by that Holy One under 
whose administration we are living. Little did 
Simeon, although looking for the consolation of 
Israel, imagine that he would see the Lord's 



Acts viii, 2:1 -lo. 



160 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Christ that day in his temple. Little did Joseph 
and Mary imagine that on that day the Divine 
Babe would receive such reverential salutation. 
Little did Cornelius in Csesarea and Peter in JopjDa 
imagine that the Holy Spirit was arranging for them 
an interview momentous in consequences. Little 
did Philip and the treasurer of Ethiopia imagine 
that they would meet each other on the desert 
way between Jerusalem and Gaza. Little do we 
imagine that many of the so-called accidental con- 
junctions of life are really the gracious arrange- 
ments by One who, hidden behind earth's thrones 
and nature's laws, is administering the affairs of 
the universe in the interest of Christ and Christ's 
church. When will the world and the church learn 
that Almighty God is Euler as well as Maker ? 

The Patriarch- "And when the parents brought in the child 

- 2- 28° J esus ? that they might do concerning him after 

the custom of the law, then he received him into 

his arms, and blessed God." An exquisite picture 

this : " The infant Gospel cradled in the arms of 

Heb. vii, 7. dying Law." Yerily, while, without any dispute, 
the less is blessed of the better, here, at least, the 
greater is blessed of the less. 
And Simeon said : 

Nunc Dimittis. Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, 
Luke ii, 29-32. According to thy word, in peace; 

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 

Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples ; 

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, 

And the glory of thy people Israel. 

It was not only the vesper song of the vanish- 
ing Jewish church : it was also the swan-like song 



THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND ANNA. 1G1 

of a dying saint, the true Nxmc Dimittis of a ran- 
somed spirit. Not that it was, as we so often take 
it, a prayer for death : rather was it a declaration 
both of willingness to depart and an assurance that 
the 'departure would be in jDeace : 

Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, 
According to thy word, in peace ; 
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. 

The long-waited-for consolation has come, and 
now the aged saint is ready to go. So, thirty-six 
centuries ago, the aged Jacob said to his favorite 
Joseph : " Now let me die, since I have seen thy 
face, that thou art yet alive." So, a half century 
ago, a heroic dying missionary about to be borne in 
a litter to witness the baptism of thirty Karens, 
murmured : " If I live to see this one ingathering, 
I may well exclaim with happy Simeon, ' Lord, 
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, ac- 
cording to thy word : for mine eyes have seen thy 
salvation.' " Friends, it is the Christian, and none 
but the Christian, who can chant Simeon's dying 
song. One word more touching this triumphal 
lay. How remarkable it is for the sweep of its 
vision : 

Mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 

"Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; 

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, ' 

And the splendor of thy people Israel. 

Thus, at the very beginning of the Christian 
era, and at a single bound, does Simeon leap over 
the Jewish barriers which, even a generation later, 
seemed insurmountable to evangelist and apostle. 



162 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Luke ii, 33. No wonder that the parents of the Holy Child 
marveled at the things which were spoken con- 
cerning him. 

Stabat Mater. " And Simeon blessed them, and said unto 

Luke ii, 34, 35. Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the 
falling and the rising of many in Israel ; and for a 
sign which is spoken against; yea, and a sword 
shall pierce through thine own soul ; that thoughts 
out of many hearts may be revealed." Behold, 
this child is set for the falling and the rising of 
many in Israel. Of every listener to the glad 

Matt, sii, 30. tidings it must be said that he who is not for 
Christ is against Christ ; that is to say, Jesus 

i Peter ii, 4-8. Christ is either a corner-stone and rock of salva- 
tion, or a stumbling-stone and rock of perdition. 
Not that he is a changeling, without fixed 
purpose or character, treating men capriciously. 

Heb. xiii, 8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, 
yea and forever. And just because he is the 
same yesterday, and to-day, and forever, he is 
a stepping-stone of salvation to those who are 
for him, and a stumbling-stone of perdition to 
those who are against him. The vapor which 
rises from the salubrious lake and the vapor 
which rises from the pestilential marsh are both 
raised by the same sun. And for a sign which 
is spolten against. It is a presentiment of Cal- 
vary. The shadow of the sepulchre falls even on 

Gai. v, ii. the manger. Eor has the offense of the cross 

ceased. To-day the sign is spoken against in sa- 
loon and academy, in club-house and workshop. 
Yea, and a sword shall jpierce through thine own 
soul cdso. When that virgin-mother, now gazing 



THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND ANNA. 163 

so fondly on her divine Babe as he lies sweetly in 
Simeon's arms, shall hereafter see him wearing a 
crown of thorns and receiving in his side a spear- 
thrust, then shall a sword indeed pierce through 
her own soul also. 

Stood the mournful mother weeping, jacobus de 

By the cross ber vigil keeping, Tra^iated'by 

"While her Jesus hung thereon ; ^Monsefl S ' 

Through her heart, in sorrow moaning, 
With him grieving, for him groaning, 

Through that heart the sword hath gone. 

What though the Mighty One has done great Luke i, 46-54. 
things for Mary, so that all generations henceforth 
shall call her blessed % In every cup of joy there 
is a bitter drop. Even the blessed mother her- 
self can not soar to heaven except by way of 
the cross. That thoughts out of many hearts 
may he revealed. Jesus Christ is the great un- 
folder and interpreter of men. No one knows 
what he has been, or is, or can be, till he stands 
up by the side of the Divine Man. The voluptu- 
ary does not know how gross he is, the miser how 
sordid he is, the man of the world how worthless 
he is, the seeker after God how potential of great 
experience he is, till light streams in on him from 
Bethlehem and Calvary. Our attitude toward 
Jesus Christ is the test and index of our own 
character. If we follow him, we are like him, 
and so are righteous. If we neglect him, we are 
unlike him, and so are wicked. The character of 
Jesus Christ is the universal, infallible prober. 
The same lancet which lays bare the healthy nerve, 
lays bare the diseased. The same glad tidings 



Luke i 



104 THE DIVINE MAN. 

which disclosed and saved a Simon Peter, disclosed 
and doomed a Judas Iscariot. Jesus Christ is the 
touch-stone of human hearts. 

The Adoring " And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the 
Prophetess, c i aU ght er of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she 
' was of great age, having lived with a husband 
seven years from her virginity, and she had been 
a widow even unto fourscore and four years), 
which departed not from the temple, worshiping 
with fastings and supplications night and day. 
And coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks 
unto God, and spake of him to all them that were 
looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 1 ' It is 
the companion picture of the portrait of Simeon, 
and it is quite as beautiful. This aged prophetess 
may stand as the type of Christian widowhood, 

1 Tim. v, 5. such as St. Paul commends ; for a widow indeed 
she was, setting her hope on God, and continuing 
in supplications and prayers night and day. Not 
that we are to suppose that she literally dwelt in 
the temple day and night. But she worshiped in 
the temple daily, never failing to observe the 
morning and the evening sacrifice. It was a beau- 
tiful instance of a consecrated career. And com- 
ing up at that very hour — for doubtless Anna also 
was under the Spirit's inspiration, so that her 
steps were guided even as Simeon's had been — she 
in her turn gave thanks to God, recognizing in 
Bethlehem's Babe the promised Messiah, and 
speaking of him to all them that were looking for 
the redemption of Jerusalem. And so the blessed 
privilege vouchsafed this aged and saintly couple 
carries us back to Malachi's golden saying : 



THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND ANNA. 165 

Then they that feared Jehovah spake one with another : Malachi ill, 16, 

And Jehovah hearkened, and heard, 

And a book of remembrance was written before him, 

For them that feared Jehovah, 

And that thought upon his name. 

And they shall be mine, saith Jebovah of hosts, 

In the day wherein I do make a peculiar treasure; 

And I will spare them, 

As a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 

Let me conclude with two thoughts. 

And, first, we can not but be impressed by the The Universal 
universal welcome which greeted the infant Jesus. Welcom e. 
Toil welcomed him in the adoration of the shep- Luke a, 18-20. 
herds. Intellect welcomed him in the adoration Matt, ii, 1-12. 
of the wise men. Infancy welcomed him in the Luke i, 44. 
adoration of the unborn son of Elisabeth. Old Luke a, 25-38. 
age welcomed him in the adoration of Simeon and 
Anna. And well might all classes thus welcome 
him ; for he is the Son of man, and so the Christ 
for all men. In him can be neither Jew nor Gen- Gai. in, 28. 
tile, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female ; 
but all are one in Christ Jesus. And in this uni- 
versal welcome we have the first fulfillment of 
that beautiful promise of Zechariah when, fore- 
telling Messiah's return to New Jerusalem, he 
prophesies : 

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts : Zech. viii, 4, 5. 

There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the 

streets of Jerusalem, 
Every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 
And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls 
Playing in the streets thereof. 

Secondly, nothing is more beautiful than a Chris- Beauty of a 
tian old age. For it brings, as it did to Simeon, 01™ Ag«. 



106 THE DIVINE MAN. 

three beautiful things.* First, it brings depth of 
spiritual insight : Simeon took the Child into his 
arms, and blessed God, saying, " Lord, mine eyes 
have seen thy salvation." Secondly, it brings cath- 
olicity of spirit : " Mine eyes have seen thy salva- 
tion, which thou hast prepared before the face of 
all ; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the 
glory of thy people Israel." Thirdly, it brings 
peace in view of death : " O Lord, now lettest 
thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy 
word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 
And these three beautiful things — depth of spirit- 
ual insight, catholicity of spirit, and peace in view 
of death — are in an eminent degree the peculiar 
treasure of a Christian old age. And these are 
the three things which make a Christian old age 
so beautiful. These, also, are the things which 
make a Christian old age young and vigorous. As 
the sturdy eagle ever and anon molts its plumes, 
Psaim ciii, 5. so he who waits upon Jehovah renews his youth 
like the eagle. The truth is, age. does not depend 
on years. Some are old at twenty, others are 
young at ninety. As the poet sings : 

Bailey's " Fes- We live in deeds, not words ; in thoughts, not breaths ; 

In feelings, not in figures on a dial : 
We should count time by heart-throbs. 

He most lives 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. 

Age is far more a matter of indolence, and use- 

* For this analysis of Simeon's character, I am indebted to the 
suggestive volume, entitled " Christ in Modern Life," by Rev. 
Stopford A. Brooke, Sermon XXVII. 



tus. 



THE HOMAGE OF SIMEON AND ANNA. 167 



and ennui, than of chronology. And a 
Christian old age is ever youthful. 

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, Isaiah xi, 30, 31. 

And the young men shall utterly fall : 

But they that wait upon Jehovah shall renew their 

strength ; 
They shall mount op with wings as eagles ; 
They shall run, and not be weary ; 
They shall walk, and not faint. 

The aged Simeon who holds Christ in his arms 

has immortal youthhood. For the infant Jesus is isaiah is, g. 

also the Father of Eternity, whose goings forth Micah v, 2. 

have been from of old, from the days of eternity. 

And so he and those who are his are immortally 

young. 

O a^ed saints, patriarchs of the church, Sime- 
ons and Annas of the true temple, ye are in rich- 
est sense welcomers of the infant Christ, and so 
also prophets of his glory. God grant us all zech. xiv, 7. 
light at eventide ! 

O Almighty God, who hast knit together thine elect in Collect, 
one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy 
Son Christ our Lord ; Grant us grace so to follow thy 
blessed Saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may 
come to those unspeakable joys, which thou hast prepared 
for those who unfeignedly love thee ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 

Matthew ii, 1-12. 

There shall come forth a star out of Jacob. 

Numbers xxiv, 17. 



L5 



JIatt. ii, 1, 



XIV. . 
THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEX. 

Matthew ii, 1-12. 

Xeaklt nineteen hundred years ago. in the The Star 
first year of grace, a party of travelers were 
wending their way to Jndea. They are from the 
far-off east — from Arabia, or Persia, or Chaldea, 
or Parthia, or it may be the very land where once 
stood the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death. 
They are Magian sages, men renowned for their 
mastery of a hoary, occult wisdom. Disciples of 
the purest and most spiritual religion of heathen 
antiquity, followers of Zoroaster, worshipers of 
Ormuzd (God of Light), watchers of the heavenly 
hosts — they have left their far-olf eastern home, 
and, after, it may be, months of weary travel, have 
reached the city of the great King. What has 
been guiding them in their long journey % A 
mysterious star. Eespecting the nature of this 
star we know nothing, and therefore little should 
be said. The opinions concerning it may be di- 
vided into two classes. 

First, the star may have been simply a natural TheStar possi- 
phenomenon. Let it not be supposed, however, y 
that those who hold this opinion are necessarily to 



172 THE DIVINE MAN. 

be ranked with skeptics. A heartier believer in 
Holy Writ or a devouter spirit never lived than 
the illustrious astronomer who first advanced this 
opinion — John Kepler. Feeling that Omnipotence 
itself would not work a miracle where a natural 
phenomenon would equally subserve the divine 
purpose, Kepler reverentially inquired whether 
there are any indications to show that the star 
in the east was a natural phenomenon. His 
investigations, corrected by others who suc- 
ceeded him, have led to the following inter- 
esting result : In the year of Rome 747 — the 
year fixed on by many scholars as the year of 
our Lord's birth— a remarkably brilliant plane- 
tary conjunction took place in the constellation 
Pisces, that constellation being the astrologi- 
cal symbol oi Judea. In May, September, and 
December of that year, Jupiter and Saturn came 
into conjunction. Supposing, now, that the Magi- 
ans, who belonged to an order renowned for their 
devotion to astronomy, having been arrested by 
the first planetary conjunction which occurred in 
May and in the Judean constellation of Pisces, 
immediately began their journey westward, the 
interval between the first conjunction in May and 
the third conjunction in December would more 
than cover the time ordinarily required in passing 
from Chaldea to Judea. This coincidence of the 
conjunctions with Matthew's account of the star 
is certainly quite remarkable ; and it is easy to see 
why such an explanation of the strange star would 
seem satisfactory and fascinating to scholars de- 
voutly inclined. 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 173 

Nevertheless, in spite of the weighty names The star prob- 
which may be cited in defense of this view, natural! 1 ^" 
I am constrained to believe that the star in 
question was purely supernatural. It certainly 
appears so on the surface of the sacred narrative. 
Besides, Professor Pritchard has shown that Jupiter 
and Saturn, at their conjunctions, were never seen 
as a single star, but, at their nearest, were at the very 
considerable distance of double the moon's diame- 
ter. Again : It is difficult to see how a planet or 
star could be said to go before the wise men, and 
then suddenly come to a stand-still over a precise 
spot. Once more : Most of the other exceptional 
events recorded in connection with the nativity 
were supernatural ; for example, an angel ap- Matt, i, 20 ; 
peared to Zacharias in the temple, to Mary and to 27; a, 9. 
Joseph at Nazareth, to the shepherds near Beth- 
lehem. The incarnation itself — -the birth of Deity 
into humanity through the overshadowing by the Luke i, 35. 
Holy Spirit — what was it but the miracle of mira- 
cles? He who can believe the miracle of the 
incarnation can easily believe the miracle of the 
star. Besides, we know not what mystic links of 
sympathy bind together matter and spirit, earth 
and heaven. If nature felt the curse when Adam Gen. m, is. 
fell, if darkness was over all the land from the Matt, xxvii, 45. 
sixth hour to the ninth when the Lord of nature 
died, if the sun shall be darkened and the moon Matt, xxiv, 29. 
shall withdraw her light and the stars shall fall 
from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall 
be shaken when the Lord of nature returns, we can 
not wonder that a new star jeweled the heavens 
when the Lord of nature was born. Whether the 



174 THE DIVINE MAN. 

star was actually a new orb, suddenly appearing 
and as suddenly vanishing, like Tycho Brake's 
star in 1572, or Kepler's star in 1664; or whether 
it was a resplendent meteoric body, ever and anon 
hovering in the atmospheric heavens ; or whether, 
as I am inclined to believe, it was the reappearance 
in a new form of the ancient Shechinah which, 
embodied in the pillar of fire-cloud, had marshaled 
Israel from Egypt into Canaan, we know not. All 
we know about this is that a star in the east guided 
the Magians to Bethlehem of Judea. 

But what has prompted the wise men to yield 
to the guidance of this wonderful star % I know 
not. Perhaps it is the expectation, strange, unde- 
fined, which has been prevailing in the east that 
a mighty and blessed portent is about to occur in 
the land of Abraham. Perhaps it is the knowl- 
edge diffused through the east by the dispersed 
Jews of the ten lost tribes. Perhaps it is the tra- 

Danieiix. ditional remembrance of Daniel's famous Messi- 

anic prophecy, uttered more than five centuries 
before, when that interpreter of dreams and in- 
spector of the Magian order stood before the 
courts of Babylon and Persia. Perhaps it is a 
traditional reminiscence floating down the stream 
of fifteen centuries of the mysterious prophecy of 
Balaam, son of Beor — himself a dweller in or near 
the land whence these Oriental sages have come — 

Num. xxiv, 17. when, falling down in prophetic trance, he saw a 
star coming out of Jacob, and a scepter rising out 
of Israel. Perhaps it is a combination of these 
mystic reminiscences with the yearnings of their 
own devout natures and the inspiration of the Holy 






Alarm. 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 175 

One which has prompted these sages from the 
Orient to undertake their long and reverential 
journey. What we are told is this : They followed 
the guidance of a star. And now, having at last 
entered the city beautiful for situation, the way- 
worn travelers ask of the citizens, " Where is he 
that is born King of the Jews % for we saw his star 
in the east, and are come to worship him." 

The unexpected arrival of these reverent Ma- Herod's 
gians from a far-off realm ; the startling signifi- 
cance of their question, " Where is the King of 
the Jews that is born?" the celestial portent which 
they declare has been guiding them and heralding 
his dominion ; the homagef ul errand on which 
they have come — all this plunges Herod and his 
court into profound agitation. Nor is it strange. 
Herod, the Idumean usurper, half-Jew, half- Arab, 
wholly heathen, fears the new-born King as One 
who may rise up against him, and dethrone him. 
Conscience also troubles him, for he is aware of 
the Messianic expectation among the Jews. The 
people also, weary of tumults and slaughter, dread 
what may prove another revolution. As soon, 
then,' as the rumor spreads through the city, Herod 
is troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Instant- 
ly convoking the sanhedrin, he puts to them, as 
the constitutional interpreters of the law and the 
prophets, the question, "Where is the Christ, the 
Anointed King you are expecting, to be born ? " 
Pharisee and priest, rabbi and scribe, familiar with 
the letter of Scripture, promptly answer : " In 
Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through 
the prophet : 



176 THE DIVINE MAN. 

And thou, Beth-lem, land of Judah, 
Art in nowise least among the princes of Judah : 
For out of thee shall come forth a governor, 
Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel." 

The crafty, unscrupulous, treacherous Herod, sup- 
posing that the first appearance of the star and the 
birth of the new King were simultaneous, and con- 
cealing his bloody purpose under the cloak of de- 
votion, summons the Magians to a private audi- 
ence; and, having learned from them carefully 
what time the star had first appeared, he sends 
them to Bethlehem, saying, " Go and search out 
carefully concerning the young child ; and when 
ye have found him, bring me word, that I also 
may come and worship him." 
The Adoring ~No sooner has the treacherous king issued his 
mandate than the illustrious visitants depart from 
the city, and wend their way southward to rural 
Bethlehem. And, lo, the star, which months be- 
fore they had seen in their distant eastern home, 
is seen again, and goes before them, till it sudden- 
ly stops motionless over a particular house. See- 
ing the star once more, they rejoice with exceed- 
ing great joy ; and, hastening into the house, they 
see the young Child with Mary, his mother ; and, 
falling clown, they worship him, and, opening then- 
treasures, they offer unto him gifts — gold, and 
frankincense, and myrrh. And now, having end- 
ed their adoration, they are about to return to 
Jerusalem, in obedience to Herod's mandate. But 
the God of Abraham warns them in a dream against 
the Idumean tiger, and so they escape into their 
own country by another way. 



Offerings 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 177 

Such is the story of the homage of the wise 
men. The story is rich in lessons. Let ns now 
ponder some of them. 

And, first, in this guidance of the Magians by God's Guid- 
means of what seemed to them a star, we see an j^ L am " 
instance of the truth that our heavenly Father 
ever adjusts our duties to our conditions, our obli- 
gations to our opportunities. He would lead every 
human being throughout the world to the one 
common home — even his own blessed self. Never- 
theless, different men he leads by different paths, ad- 
justing the method, to each man's peculiar circum- 
stances. The Magians were astronomers, and so he 
led them by a star. True, astronomy in the case of 
the Magian order was debased by astrology. Origi- 
nally worshiping God under the symbol of light, 
they began their career as Magians ; but at a later 
stage worshiping the symbol instead of the Being 
symbolized, they ended their career as magicians. 
But we may not doubt that the Magians of our 
story belonged to the earlier class, still inheritors 
of the purer faith ; for they came to the cradle, 
not as conjurers, but as worshipers. And they 
were led thither by a star. What a beautiful 
instance of that manifold wisdom and grace by 
which the Father in heaven adjusts each man's 
duties and privileges to his own peculiar environ- 
ment. Just as the young son of Jesse was led to 2 sam. vu, 8. 
the royal pastorhood of Israel by the staff, and bag, 
and pipe of his own shepherd life ; just as Galilean 
fishermen were led to become fishers of men Luke v, 1-11. 
through the training of net and hook and bait, of 
skill and toil and patience ; just as the lame, and 



178 THE DIVINE MAN, 

the blind, and the palsied, and the lunatic were 
led to the heavenly Physician by miracles of heal- 

Matt. xiv, 14-si. ing ; just as the famishing multitudes of Gen- 
nesareth were led to the true bread from heaven 
by the miracle of the multiplied loaves and 

John iv, 5-30. fishes ; just as the thirsty outcast of Samaria was 
led to the water of life by the water of Jacob's 
Well: so the astronomers from the Orient were 
led to the Sun of Righteousness by the star of 
Bethlehem. It is a rich lesson for us. A thou- 
sand different ways does the Lord Christ have 
of guiding men to himself. True, there is but 
one way to the Father and the Father's heav- 
en : it is through the only begotten Son. But 
that only begotten Son is everywhere, beckon- 
ing all men to himself. Reverently I say it, 
there is a sense in which even Jesus Christ 
himself, not less than the chief est of his apos- 

i cor. ix, 19-21. ties, becometh all things to all men, that he may 
by all means save some. Let us not, then, be 
more narrow than our Lord, and insist on iden- 
tity of experiences, or question the conversion 
of a brother because he has reached the Cross 
by a path different from our own. There is 
only one Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; but 
the pathway to him is not a single iron groove, 
along which every child of grace is to be in- 
exorably worked. Himself the true Sun, his 
bright love radiates in every direction ; and wher- 
ever there is a ray from him, there may be a 
path to him. Oh, that each of us might be as 
true to his own ray as the heathen sages were 
to theirs ! 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 179 

And this leads us to a second lesson : Wherever God's Stara 
God puts a new star before us, we must follow it g^ed h ° 
whithersoever it leads us. 

Thus did the Magians. Not content with not- 
ing the position, and dimensions, and quality of 
the strange star, or talking about the wonderful 
phenomenon, they recognized in it some heavenly 
hint, and gave themselves up to its guidance. 
What though the star seemed to hover over a dis- 
tant spot ? They were earnest men, and would 
know the truth. And so they left their kindred 
and home, and undertook an expedition longer 
and more formidable to them than a journey to 
Australia would be to us. Onward, across mount- 
ain-ranges, and sandy wastes, and broad streams, 
and through hordes of spear-armed Bedouin, week 
after week, week after week, these brave spirits 
journey. At length, passing over Scopas or Oli- 
vet, their straining eyes catch glimpse of Plerod's 
gleaming temple. Here surely in the Hebrew 
capitol shall be found the new-born King of the 
Jews ! No ; sanhedrin and king, church and state, 
have not even heard of the advent of the royal 
Babe. Will these stalwart spirits, who have al- 
ready braved wilderness and river, fatigue and 
peril, turn back, now that the long sought-for prize 
seems to have vanished the very moment they had 
hoped to grasp it ? No ; they still keep loyal to 
their star. And so, issuing out by Zion's gats, 
they press on southward ; and, lo, the star which 
they had seen in the east suddenly reappears, and, 
going before them, guides them to the long- sought 
goal; and there they find the infant King, and 



180 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



there they offer him costliest adoration. Mighty 
the faith that sees a Monarch in a foreigner's man- 
ger. Yet it is no wonder, for long before has the 
2 Peter i, i9. day dawned and the day-star arisen in their hearts. 

The lesson is very plain, and as rich as plain : 
He who honestly follows what light God gives 
him, even though it be but a star in the night, 
shall ere long find God's very sun itself. The 
lesson is capable of many applications. 

Let me apply it, first, to the student of Nature. 
A great deal is said in these days about the true 
method of scientific inquiry. It is one thing to 
study Nature for Nature's own sake ; it is another 
and nobler thing to study Nature for sake of what 
Nature may mean for her Lord. There are elect, 
earnest spirits in the world of science and philoso- 
phy. They are searching for truth, even for a 
Saviour, though they hardly know it. And the 
reason why they do not find a Saviour is because 
they are looking for him in a star ; whereas, the 
Saviour is behind the star, and gives to it all the 
splendor it has. They have not learned the first 
essential lesson of all true philosophy : to distin- 
guish between Nature as a goal and Nature as a 
way to the goal. Would they but study the star, 






Tennyson. 



the star hints, and faithfully follow its guidings, 
they would soon stand upon 

the shining table-lands 
To which our God himself is moon and sun. 



Again : Let me apply our lesson to the student 
of duty. Night has overtaken a weary traveler. 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 181 

He is in a rugged, unfamiliar country. Neverthe- 
less lie plods on as best he may in darkness and 
solitude. Suddenly he comes to a spot where the 
road forks. The one path seems as likely to be 
right as the other. But no guide-board is there to 
point the way, no human being near of whom to 
inquire. As he stands there perplexed, he fancies 
he sees in the distance a dim glimmer. He knows 
not what it is. Perhaps it is a glow-worm on some 
neighboring bush ; perhaps a will-o'-the-wisp in 
some noisome marsh ; perhaps a sparkle from the 
fire of some robber's cave ; perhaps the glimmer of 
some candle in a peasant's hut. He knows not 
whence the light comes ; but he takes counsel of 
hope, and gropes toward it. As he advances, the 
light grows steadier and brighter, and at length he 
finds himself by the cheerful fireside of an honest 
and friendly cottager. Even so there are times in 
the lives of all true men when night overtakes them 
and the path of duty seems to fork. They stand 
perplexed, not knowing which way to take ; 
whether, for example, to accept this or that as the 
truth, whether to undertake a certain enterprise 
or not, whether to go into business or the pulpit, 
whether to join the church of their fathers or 
another which they have some reasons for surmis- 
ing is nearer the Apostolic Church. In their un- 
certainty they suddenly see something which looks 
as though it might be a hint of the true path. It 
matters not what it be ; whether the suggestion of 
a valued friend, or a clause of Holy Scripture, or 
a providential incident, or an indefinable inner 
impulse. They think they discern in it the point- 
16 



182 



THE DIVIXE MAN. 



Isaiah xxx, 26. 



The Epiphany 
to the Gen- 
tiles. 



Haggai ii, 



ing of a mystic hand, and they bravely commit 
themselves to its guidance. Onward they press, 
through days of toil and nights of vigil, across 
mountain and swamp, wilderness and torrent. 
By and by their feet touch the land their eyes 
had seen from afar ; and lo, that which had 
seemed only a star in Chaldea suddenly bursts 
into the Sun at Bethlehem. Thus to him that 
hath it shall be given, and he shall have abun- 
dance. The light followed is a light multi- 
plied; for the harvest is ever larger than the 
seed. Light is sown for the righteous, and 
gladness for the upright in heart. The light 
of the moon becomes as the light of the sun, 
and the light of the sun sevenfold, as the light 
of seven days. 

Again : In this coming of Gentile Magians 
to do homage to a Jewish King-Babe, we see a 
prophecy of the coming of the heathen world to 
Jesus Christ. ~Not that these Magians were the 
first of the Gentiles to search for a redeemer. 
Long before their pilgrimage, even from the be- 
ginning, there had been, and there still is, a yearn- 
ing for a deliverer, a desire of the nations. In 
the painful gropings after light by a Zoroaster 
and a Confucius, a Socrates and a Plato, an Epic- 
tetus and an Aurelius ; in the pilgrimages and 
self-tortures and sacrifices of the heathen world ; 
in the very myths of Prometheus and Her- 
cules, of Brahma and Boodh — in all these we 
see the beckoning phantom of Macedonia mul- 
tiplied a myriadfold, and we hear his plain- 
tive cry : 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 183 

I stretch lame hands of faith, and grope, "in Menu 

And gather dust and chaff, and call 

To what I feel is Lord of all, 
And faintly trust the larger hope. 

"Who does not discern in these longings and sigh- 
ings and groanings of a travailing creation after a 
Something, it knows not what or whence or how, 
the vast, indefinable outlines of one whose form Daniel m, 2; 
is like to that of the Son of God ? And the De- 
liverer has always been in the world. Long before 
the birth at Bethlehem, Messiah was among men 
through prophecy and type, ordinance and symbol, 
human needs and heavenly inspirations. The true John i, 9. 
light, which lighteth every man, has ever been 
coming into the world. But he took on him the 
visible conditions of humanity when the star 
shone over Bethlehem. And the Magians were 
the first of the Gentiles to salute the new-born 
Prince, discerning in the Babe of the manger not 
so much the King of the Jews as the Jew-King 
of men. And in this coming of the heathen sages 
from the east and in their adoration of the infant 
King, the church has ever loved to read the 
prophecy of that coming day when 

The nations shall come to his light, Psalm lsxii. 

And kings to the brightness of his rising ; Isaiah Is. 

The abundance of the sea shall be turned unto him, 

The wealth of the nations shall come unto him ; 

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents, 

The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts ; 

Yea, all kings shall fall down before, 

All nations shall serve him : 

He shall have dominion from sea to sea, 

And from the river to the ends of the earth. 



184 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Pledge of the Again : In this following of tlie star by the 

Homage by Magians and in their adoration of the infant King, 

intellect. we see a prophecy of the coming allegiance of 

human intellect to the Nazarene. Oh, not always 

shall genius and unbelief go hand in hand. Not 

coi. ii, s. always shall learning be a philosophy of vain de- 

1 Tim. vi, so. ceit. Not always shall science be an opposition of 
a knowledge falsely so called. In the homage of 
the wise men from the east at the shrine of the 
nativity,- faith and science were betrothed, and the 
world will yet celebrate their oj)en bridal. Then 
will it be confessed that the Lord of creation and 
the Lord of redemption is one Lord ; that the finger 
which wrote on the tables of the Silurian sandstone 
is the finger which also wrote on the tables of the 
Sinaitic granite ; that the hand which reared the 
gigantic forests of the Carboniferous era is also the 
hand which was nailed to the Judean tree ; that the 
Dixit which peopled primeval space with nebulous 
masses is also the Dixit which gemmed the night 
dome with the star of Bethlehem. Nor were 
sages from the east the only ones to hail in homage 

Luke ii, 8-20. the new-born King : rustic shepherds also left 
their nightly watch over their flock to join in the 
homageful greeting. And in this beautiful fact 
that peasant and scholar bowed in common adora- 
tion before their infant Lord, I discern the pro- 
phetic assurance that in the golden hereafter all the 
products of bodily labor and all the achievements 
of mental toil shall alike be reverently laid at the 
feet of him who, although he was the son of an 
artisan's bride, is also from eternity to eternity the 
infinite Wisdom. 



THE HOMAGE OF THE WISE MEN. 185 

Lastly: Another advent is yet to startle the The Second 
world. It is when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed Advent - 
from heaven with the angels of his power in flam- 
ing fire— on the one hand, to render vengeance to 
them that know not God, and that obey not the 
g03pel of our Lord Jesus Christ; on the other 
hand, to be glorified in his saints, and to be mar- 
veled at in all them that believe. Not as a 
manger-child shall the Son of Man then reappear ; 
but as the universal King, throned on clouds of 
heaven, many diadems on his brow, the keys of 
death and of Hades in his grasp. Although no 
strange star shall then gently herald his approach, 
his descending pathway shall be illuminated with 
lurid flames of a world in conflagration ; and, al- 
though no choir of angels shall chant a peaceful 
anthem, the peal of the archangel's trump shall 
reverberate through the universe — to the Christian, 
a joyous summons to the Tree of Life in the para- Rev. Li, 7. 
dise of our God; to the incorrigible, a requiem 
over his everlasting death. 

Oh, then, join with shepherd and Magian in a Personal In- 
the blissful adoration. Let not the Queen of vitadon ^ 
Sheba rise up in the judgment to condemn thee : 
for she came from afar to hear the wisdom of Solo- 
mon ; and lo, a greater than Solomon is here. 
Let not the wise men from the east rise up in the 
judgment to condemn thee : for they came to a 
cradle; and lo, a throne is here. Starlight was 
enough to guide them to a crib : beware lest sun- 
light be too little to guide thee to a throne. Come, 
then, to the Divine Son of Mary ! Kneel down 
before him, and offer him thy costliest gifts— gold 



186 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



in beneficence to his poor ones, frankincense in 
homage to himself, myrrh in enshrinemcnt of him 
in thy heart's most sacred niche. 

Jeremy Taylor. They gave to thee 

Myrrh, frankincense, and gold ; 
But, Lord, with what shall we 
Present ourselves before thy Majesty, 
"Whom thou redeem'st when we were sold? 
We've nothing but ourselves, and scarce that neither; 
Vile dirt and clay ; 
Yet it is soft, and may 
Impression take. 
Accept it, Lord, and say, this thou hadst rather : 
Stamp it, and on this sordid metal make 
Thy holy image, and it shall outshine 
The beauty of the golden mine. 

Collect. O God, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy 

only begotten Son to the Gentiles ; Mercifully grant that we, 
who know thee now by faith, may after- this life have the 
fruition of thy glorious Godhead : through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 






THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 

Matthew ii, 13-15. 

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, 
And called my son out of Egypt. 

Hosea xi, 1. 



XV. 

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 

Matthew ii, 13-15. 

Already have the wise men from the east The Angel- 
been divinely warned in a dream not to return to arnmg " 
the treacherous and sanguinary Herod, and so they 
depart to their own country by another way. No 
sooner have they departed, perhaps on the very 
same night, an angel of the Lord, probably the 
same Gabriel, Strength of God, who had already 
appeared to Daniel the prophet, and to Zacharias Daniel is, 25. 
the priest, and to Mary the virgin, and to Joseph Luke i,' 5-30. ' 
the carpenter, now appears the second time to 
Joseph, and, as before, in a dream. How much 
we know of ourselves, and yet how little ! How 
learnedly we talk about the laws of sleep and 
dream, and yet how little do we understand the 
philosophy of them ! Who can tell what exploits 
we may achieve, what exploits may be achieved in 
us, when rapt into dream land ? We venture not 
to peer into the mystery. Enough that we read 
that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a 
dream. And he comes with a note of warning. 
And well he may. For the fiendish Herod, quak- 
ing on his throne before a Babe in his manger, lest 



190 THE DIVINE MAN. 

that Babe should dethrone him, has resolved on a 
massacre of the babes of Bethlehem. And now 
behold a fine instance of the blending of the su- 
pernatural and the natural. Divine though the 
Babe of Bethlehem is, he is also human, and as 
such must be protected like any other human in- 
fant. And so the angel visits Joseph as he dreams, 
and exclaims : " Arise and take the young Child 
and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou 
there until I tell thee ; for Herod will seek the 
young Child to destroy him." 
The Nocturnal The angel need not repeat his warning. Guard- 
1S ' ian love will quickly do all the rest. Alreadv 

Matt ii 14 

has the sword begun to pierce through Mary's 
Luke ii, 35. soul. That very night, while Herod is dreaming 
of to-morrow's massacre, and the Magians are 
wending their way back homeward, the lowly car- 
penter of Nazareth takes his young bride and her 
holy Babe, and, gliding through the gates of the 
City of David, begins the memorable flight into 
Egypt. We are not told what route they took ; 
probably the shorter and customary one. All we 
isaiah ix, 6. know is that he who is the Father of eternity, 
Micah v, 2. whose goings forth had been from of old, who be- 
john viii, 58. f ore Abraham was born was the great eternal I 
AM, is carried a helpless infant into the land of 
the Pharaohs, and this to escape death at the 
hands of a tyrant more impious than any Pharaoh. 
Egypt, once the house of bondage, is now the asy- 
lum of the King of men and Son of God. And 
here he remains until the death of Herod. 
The ^ aU out And so we pass to ponder the evangelist's com- 
Matt. ii, is. ' ment on the flight: " That it might be fulfilled 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 191 

which was spoken by the Lord through the proph- 
et, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son." The 
citation is from the first verse of the eleventh 
chapter of Hosea : 

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, 
And called my son out of Egypt. 

But the prophet does not seem to be speaking of 
the coming Messiah ; he is evidently speaking of 
the historic Israel, the nation of the Jews. He 
has been foretelling the awful calamities which 
awaited them under the Babylonian conquest. 
But he can not close his prophecies without a 
word of cheer. His mind goes back to ancestral 
times. Conceiving the Jewish nation as a single 
person, having stages of infancy, and youth, and 
manhood, he goes back to the time when Israel, 
being an infant, was enthralled in Egypt, and the 
God of Abraham by the hand of Moses gracious- 
ly emancipated him. " When Israel was a child, 
I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." 

But how can Matthew speak of these words as 
a prophecy, and of the sojourn of the Divine Babe 
in Egypt as a fulfillment of the prophecy % Vari- 
ous answers may be given, and each answer will 
contain a measure of truth. Thus, it may be an- 
swered that Matthew uses Hosea's words, so to 
speak, rhetorically or classically, declaring that the 
story of the infant Jesus in Egypt was a fine in- 
stance of Hosea's saying, " Out of Egvpt I called 
my son." As a matter of fact, Jehovah ages be- 
fore had called out of Egypt Israel his child ; and 
now, as a matter of fact, Jehovah out of the same 



192 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Egypt calls his own Son Jesus. The return of the 
Divine Babe from Egypt fulfilled Hosea's words, 
not in the sense of their being a prophecy, but in 
the sense of their being a history, filling out their 
possible meaning as words. That is to say, the 
divine return was a splendidly perfect instance of 
Hosea's saying, " Out of Egypt did I call my son." 
Again, it may be answered that the literal Israel 
was the type of the spiritual Israel. Even the Old 
Testament prophets themselves, particularly Isaiah, 
seem to have conceived Messiah and the chosen 
people as one person ; so that what was true of the 
people of God was also true of the Christ of God. 

In all their affliction he was afflicted, 
And the angel of his presence saved them. 

At all events, the Divine Man was himself the 
true, ideal Israel, and as such Jehovah did call him 
when a child out of Egypt. Once more, it may 
be answered, in a more general way, that the pres- 
ent is ever the fruit of the past and the seed of 
the future. Events are born of events, as succes- 
sive parts of plants are born of preceding parts ; 
the parts are different, but they are radically only 
repetitions of the original seed. Hence, as we are 
so fond of saying, history repeats itself. Herein 
lies the true method of studying history. The 
historic is ever the prophetic. That which hath 
been is that which shall be, and that which hath 
been done is that which shall be done ; and there 
is no new thing under the sun. And particularly 
is it true in a case of special divine election, like 
that of the Jewish nation, that "history will be 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 193 

prophecy. The fulfillments of the prophetic 
Scriptures, like waves of the sea, are ever multi- 
plying and enlarging concentric circles. And 
Jesus Christ is evermore the final and crowning 
fulfillment. In him all the fullness was pleased to coi. i, 19. 
dwell. The Divine Man is the universal jpleroma 
— alike the radiant point and the circumference of 
all things/ Did Jehovah, when Israel was his 
child, call him out of Egypt ? Even so did Jeho- 
vah, when Jesus Christ — his own dearly beloved 
Son — was a child, call him out of Egypt. And as 
God called out of Egypt his Son, who is the Head, 
so out of Egypt does he call his Church, which is 
his Sons body. It was literally true of some of 
the most eminent of the fathers. Out of Egypt 
God called Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, Cypri- 
an. It is spiritually true of all Christ's people. 
To them his summons is : Come up out of the 
Egypt of a fallen world ; come up out of the king- 
dom of sin, the land of idolatry, the house of bond- 
age ; come up into the promised country, the land 
flowing with milk and honey, the Canaan of the 
Christ of God. Ay, out of Egypt God is ever- 
more calling his sons. May we be as prompt to 
obey as Moses was ! 

O Lord, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come Collect, 
among us, and with great might succor us ; that, whereas, 
through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hin- 
dered in running the race that is set before us, thy bounti- 
ful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us, 
through the satisfaction of thy Son, our Lord ; to whom, 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world 
without end. Amen. 
17 



THE MASSACRE OF THE 
INNOCENTS. 

Matthew ii, 16-18. 

Thus saith Jehovah : 
A voice is heard in Ramah, 
Lamentation, and bitter weeping, 
Rachel weeping for her children; 
She refuseth to be comforted for her children, 
they are not. 

Jeremiah xxxi, 15. 



XVI. 
THE MASSACKE OF THE INNOCENTS. 

Matthew ii, 16-18. 

The immense advance of modern civilization Gentleness of 
is in few things more strikingly manifest than in civ7uzatk>n. 
the difference between the manner in which a deed 
of blood affects ns and the manner in which the 
same deed of blood would have affected our fa- 
thers. Let a massacre of children like Herod's be 
perpetrated in our day : the sickening details 
would be bulletined in every daily throughout 
the land, and all Christendom for a moment would 
quiver with horror. But such tragedies were so 
common in the centuries past that the perpetra- 
tion of them excited little attention beyond the 
circle immediately involved. Go back to the age 
when Rome was mistress of the world and the 
Caesar was master of Rome. "What an age of 
arbitrary, irresponsible, absolute government; of 
imperial maim and dungeon ; of secret strangula- 
tion and open massacre ; of poison and cross. Look 
at Herod, at once tiger over Palestine and spaniel 
under Eome, wading through blood to his throne, 
inaugurating his reign with the massacre of the 
sanhedrin, murdering his own sons Antipater, 



198 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Aristobulns, and Alexander, and his own wife 
Mariamne ; so that even the cold-blooded Augus- 
tus is said to have uttered concerning him the 
bitter witticism, "Better be Herod's swine than 
Herod's son " ; * and at last, if such a story can 
be true, commanding on his own death-bed as 
his final order that the principal Jews, whom 
he had shut up in the hippodrome of Jericho, 
should be massacred the moment that he died, 
in order that there might be at least some mourn- 
ers at his funeral. What, then, though no con- 
temporary of Herod except the biographer Mat- 
thew has told us the horror of Bethlehem's mas- 
sacre! What was there so extraordinary in the 
killing of a few infants in the hamlet of Beth- 
Jehem, and by a butcher and hyena so notori- 
ous as Herod, that should move Josephus or any 
writer in that period to make special chronicle 
of it ? The very silence here of contemporane- 
ous history is in its way an awful testimony to 
the reign of barbarity and carnage. And if to- 
day a massacre, like that of Cawnpore or that 
by the Indian Modocs, sends a thrill of horror 
throughout Christendom ; if the homicide of a 
drunken wretch in some obscure purlieu is gazet- 
ted the next morning in every journal from 
Newfoundland to Vancouver, and men talk of 
the awful depravity of our times — it is because 
Jesus Christ has been born into the world, and 
his ministers have preached the glad tidings of 
his love and peace. 

* Meliiis est Herodis porcum esse quam Jilium. — Maceobius. 






THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. 199 

And now let us go back for a moment to those Massacre of 
dark days. Herod — the foreign, heathen, crafty, * e ® ts nno ' 
unscrupulous, despotic, bloodthirsty Herod — is M att. a, 16. 
sitting on the throne of David. But he knows 
that his session is most precarious. For he holds 
that throne neither by right of election nor by 
right of inheritance, nor even by right of popular 
consent, but simply by right of usurpation, brute 
force, and favor of capricious Csesar. He knows 
that that throne may at any moment crumble be- 
neath him. Strange rumors, also, are now in the 
air — rumors of one who is to restore the throne 
to David's line. Not alone from Jewish Simeons Luke a, 25-38. 
and Annas, looking for the consolation of Israel 
and the redemption of Jerusalem, but also from 
blind and sorrowful heathendom come breathings 
for and expectations of a heaven-sent deliverer, 
who shall take earth's kingdoms to himself and 
reign in universal and endless peace. Such utter- 
ances, passing from mouth to mouth, cause the 
Idumean usurper to tremble on his throne. And 
now, lo, from the far-off east come wayworn Matt, a, 1,2. 
Magian pilgrims, with the startling question : 
" "Where is he that is born King of the Jews ? " 
and with the no less startling announcement: 
" For we saw his star in the east, and are come to 
worship him." Consternation seizes Herod and 
his court. Son of Esau though he is, his relations 
with the sons of Jacob have made him somewhat 
familiar with their expectations of a Messiah as 
based on the sayings of their own prophets. How 
suddenly Herod convoked the sanhedrin, and in- Matt, a, 3-15. 
quired of them where they expected their Mes- 



200 THE DIVINE MAN. 

siah would be born ; bow promptly they replied, 
" In Bethlehem of Judea " ; how painstakingly 
he ascertained from the Magians the exact time 
when the star appeared ; how sanctimoniously he 
sent them to Bethlehem, saying, " Go and search 
out carefully concerning the young child, and 
when ye have found him, bring me word, that I 
also may come and worship him " ; how joyously 
they departed, still guided by the strange star, 
till it suddenly rested over Bethlehem's manger ; 
how, entering the humble abode, they fell down 
before the Divine Babe, and, opening their treas- 
ures, offered unto him gifts — gold, and frankin- 
cense, and myrrh ; how, about to return to report 
to Herod, a heaven-sent dream warned them of 
their danger, so that they departed to their own 
country by another way ; how the same night an 
angel warned Joseph also in a dream, bidding him 
take the young child and his mother, and flee 
into Egypt ; how obedient Joseph was to the 
heavenly vision, remaining in Egypt till Herod's 
death : — all this we have already seen. 

Meantime, the anxious king, decrepit with 
age, emaciate with disease, furrowed with passion, 
chafes restlessly in his palace. Hour after hour 
he strains his vision southward to catch glimpse of 
the returning Magians ; hour after hour creeps 
away, and no Magians return. At length, con- 
vinced that they have in some way divined his 
purpose, he suddenly changes his policy of sancti- 
monious homage for a policy of massacre ; for 
there is no rage like the rage of baffled hate. The 
hand that had not shrank from the throats of sons 



THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. 201 

and wife surely may not shrink from crushing the 
new-born babes of strangers. And so, summoning 
his caitiffs, he gives his bloody order: "Go, slay 
all the male children that are in Bethlehem, and 
in all the borders thereof, from two years old and 
under, according to the time which I have care- 
fully learned from the wise men." Thank God, 
Bethlehem was but a hamlet, and so the victims 
of Herod's butchery could not have been many. 
How the slaughter was effected I know not. All 
I know is that every male child in Bethlehem and 
its borders, from two years old and under, lay a 
motionless corpse. 

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken The Voice in 
through Jeremiah the prophet, saying — 



Ramah. 

Matt, ii, 17 



A voice was heard in Ramah, Jer xxxi, 15. 

Weeping and great mourning, 

Rachel weeping for her children ; 

And she would not he comforted, because they are not. 

Seventeen centuries before this massacre at 
Bethlehem, Jacob and his loved Rachel were Gen. xxxv, 1-20. 
journeying southward from Shechem. As they 
were approaching Ephratah — the ancient name of 
Bethlehem — Rachel, in giving birth to Benjamin, 
died. " Ben-oni [the son of my sorrow] ! " cried the 
anguished mother, and breathed her last. There, 
hard by Bethlehem, Jacob buried his beloved 
wife ; there he reared a pillar over her grave ; and 
there still stands a sepulchre to this day called 
Rachel's Tomb. 

Eleven centuries glide away. On the crests of Jer. xi. 
Ramah, ten miles north of Bethlehem and in the 



202 THE DIVINE MAN. 

confines of Benjamin, stand a group of chained 
captives, Jeremiah himself being among the num- 
ber. Mournfully their eyes, are resting for the last 
time on their holy and beautiful city, ere they go 
to hang their harps on the willows of Babylon. 
It is a picture of harrowing desolation. Suddenly 
from the south is borne to the poet-prophet's ears 
the wailing of a woman's agony. It is the voice 
of Rachel, dead in her tomb a thousand years, 
stirred to a resurrection of sorrow as she sees her 
children borne into a hopeless exile. 

Jer. xxxi, 15. A voice is heard in Raraah, 

Lamentation, and bitter weeping, 
Eachel weeping for her children ; 
She refuseth to be comforted for her children, because 
they are not. 

Not the Florentine group of ]STiobe and her chil- 
dren, not the most exquisite figure in the litera- 
ture of grief, equals the pathos of this Rachel 
dirge. 

Six more centuries roll away. In Bethlehem's 
peaceful precincts lies another group of captives. 
Not stalwart men are they, mantling with shame 
as with chain on wrist and ankle they march to 
their distant exile. Little infants they are, white 
and motionless, already in that captivity from 
which no exile returns. And again from Rachel's 
Tomb, now hard by, is heard the piercing shriek 
of a woman's anguish. It is the voice of the in- 
carnate spirit of motherly grief, voicing again the 
woes of ten thousand times ten thousand and thou- 
sands of thousands of mothers' hearts, since the 



THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. 203 

day when Eve kissed the white lips of her dead 
Abel. And so is fulfilled in the ears of poet- 
evangelist that Rachel-voice of lamentation and 
bitter weeping which more than half a millen- 
nium before had been heard in the ears of 'poet- 
prophet. 

But how is the voice of Rachel heard in Beth- 
lehem of Judea the fulfillment of the voice of Ra- 
chel heard in Ramah of Benjamin ? Fulfillment 
in sense of fullest embodiment and completest con- 
summation. To fulfill is to fill full, filling up and 
out, completing all hints of spaces and outlines, 
realizing all potentialities, sphering all segments, 
and curves, and angles. In Jesus Christ all things coi. i, 17. 
do consist, hold together. Himself the center of 
all things, himself is also the circumference of all 
things ; successive events flowing from him in 
widening circles, but in circles ever concentric. 
Being thus the center and the circumference of 
all things, all the past prophesies the Christ, even 
as all . the future shall commemorate him. In coi. i, 19. 
him dwelleth all the fullness. And so around his 
cradle have been fulfilled all capacities of moth- 
ers' woes, as around his diadem shall be fulfilled 
all capacities of mothers' bliss. 

Such is the story of the massacre of the inno- 
cents, and such is the interpretation of prophet by 
evangelist. 

But what is the meaning of this tragedy ? Meaning of 
Why was this cruel massacre allowed! Why, thisTra § ed y- 
since Jesus Christ was born into the world for the 
very purpose of showing that God is Father, and 
love itself — why, at this very birth of his Christ 



204 THE DIVINE MAN. 

and Son into the world, did heavenly God per- 
mit this awful butchery of guiltless infants, this 
awful wrenching of mothers' hearts ? Ah, it was 
the type and prophecy of what has taken place 
ever since, whenever souls have been born into 
the kingdom of God. We are born again when 
the Christ is born in us. And in the case of those 
who have reached years of self-consciousness, Christ 
is generally born amid mortal throes — amid the 
massacre of self-wills, and ambitious schemes, and 
darling hopes, and fondest loves. It may be that 
some mother is reading these pages in whose heart 
the Christ was born amid her throes over her own 
dying child. The earthly child died that the 
heavenly Child might be born. In every true 
cave of the nativity is heard a Rachel wail. And 

Matt, x, 34. so Jesus Christ has come into the world, not to 
send peace, but a sword ; ay, peace by a sword. 

The Problem And now let us turn our thoughts in another 
LtJon ant direction. The question must have often occurred 
in connection with this tale of the massacre of 
the innocents, and indeed the death of children 
generally, What is the fate of those who die in 
infancy ? 

The question is not one of mere theological 
speculation or curiosity ; the question is one of 
intensest practical interest, coming home with in- 
effable tenderness to myriads of bleeding hearts. 
Oh, who shall count the little graves that hallow 
with infantile beauty and angel hopes earth's myr- 
iad cemeteries ! In how many households mothers 
speak with bated breath as they think of little 
waxen brows, and moveless lips, and tiny shrouds ! 



Salvation. 



THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. 205 

There is no flock, however watched and tended, H. w. Longfel- 

^ , -. i , . J-, ]ow,s Resig- 

But ODe dead lamb is there ; nation." 

There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended, 

But has one vacant chair. 

The air is full of farewells to the dying, 

Of mournings for the dead : 
The heart of Rachel, for her children crying, 

Will not he comforted. 

In speaking, then, of the death of little children, I 
know that I am touching the tenderest chord of 
the human heart. May God give me grace to 
tonch it lightly ! 

Whither, then, do our little ones go when 
death tears them from our arms ? To paradise, I 
can not for an instant doubt. Perish the theology 
which, as some of our fathers taught, makes so 
much of God's law as to annihilate God's father- 
hood, turning him into a monster of injustice and 
barbarity ! Of one thing I am absolutely certain : 
if a little infant is old enough to be lost, it is old 
enough to be saved. And so long as God is a 
Father, I prefer to believe that he would rather 
save life than to destroy life. I speak not for 
those who have reached the period of self- con- 
sciousness ; and the period of self-consciousness 
may be reached much earlier in life than some of 
us imagine. I speak not for those who, conscious 
of hearing the Father's call, grow up and die in 
neglect and contempt of the call ; for these no 
fate is just, or morally possible, but the fate of the 
lost. But for little infants who die before reach- 
ing the sense of responsibility, I can say, and in 
utmost confidence I do say, that in dying they are 
18 



206 THE DIVINE MAN. 

taken up in Christ's arms in heaven, even as when 
living they were taken up in Christ's arms on 
earth. Not that I can cite any specific scripture 
for infant salvation. There are some truths for 
which I need no scripture ; God has already writ- 
ten them with his own finger in the intuitions he 
has given me. And one of these intuitions is to 
believe that God is as kind as he is just, and as 
just as he is kind, and that little children in dying 
will be drawn up into his bosom as surely as he 
himself is love. And yet I can cite a scripture 
which, although it proves nothing in the matter of 
infant salvation, is very significant in way of hint. 
Let us read the whole paragraph in Jeremiah from 
which Matthew quotes a part in recording the 
massacre at Bethlehem : 

Jer. xxxi, 15-17. Thus saith Jehovah : 

A voice is heard in Ramah, 

Lamentation, and bitter weeping, 

Rachel weeping for her children ; 

She refuseth to he comforted for her children, because 

they are not. 
Thus saith Jehovah : 
Refrain thy voice from weeping, 
And thine eyes from tears, 
For thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah ; 
And they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 
And there is hope for thy latter end, saith Jehovah ; 
And thy children shall come again to their own border. 

How Matthew uses the first part of the quotation 
from Jeremiah, we have already seen : as the 
prophet by an exquisite figure represents Rachel 
as lifting up her head from her grave and weeping 
over Israel's captives, so the evangelist represents 



THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS. 207 

Kachel as again rising and weeping over Beth- 
lehem's babes. And in the manner in which the 
evangelist applies the first half of Jeremiah's para- 
graph, we have the key to the manner in which 
we may apply the second half. The first half is a 
lament : " The voice of Eachel, weeping for her 
children, refusing to be comforted, because they 
are not." The second half is an encouragement : 
" Thus saith Jehovah : Refrain thy voice from 
weeping, and thine eyes from tears, for there is 
hope for thy future, and thy children shall re- 
turn from the land of the enemy to their own 
border." 

■ Yes, ye slaughtered babes of Bethlehem — 
ye who gave unconscious testimony to the new- 
born King of men, ye whom the early Church 
honored as the first martyrs for Christ and his 
cross — and ye also, myriad babes of earth's ceme- 
teries, whom death has untimely taken away : all 
ye shall indeed come back from the land of the 
enemy, and return to your own border, even that 
new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth 2 Peter m, 13. 
righteousness. 

Hail, infant martyrs ! new-born victims, hail ! Prndentius, 
Hail, earliest flowerets of the Christian spring ! U ry. 

O'er whom, like rosebuds scattered by the gale, Translated by 
The cruel sword such havoc dared to fling. chandler. 

The Lord's first votive offerings of blood, 

First tender lambs upon the altar laid, 
Around in fearless innocence they stood, 

And sported gayly with the murderous blade. 

Oh ! what availed thee, Herod, this thy guilt — 
This load of crime that on thy conscience lies ? 



208 THE DIVINE MAN. 

The Lord alone, whose blood thou wouldst have spilt, 
Now mocks thy malice, and thy power defies. 

Yes, he alone survived, when all the ground 
Drank the red torrents of that carnage wild ; 

Though many a childless mother wailed around, 
The hand of murder spared the Virgin's child J 

O Jesu, virgin-born ! all praise to thee, 
And to the Father and to the Holy Ghost ! 

One God eternal, ever honored be 
By saints on earth and by the heavenly host ! 

Folly _ of Op- Lastly, the story of Herod's massacre teaches 
suscSrist 6 " this impressive lesson : the futility of opposing 
Jesus Christ, and his Gospel, and his Church. 
For Herod's massacre was not the first or the last 
instance of men's undertaking to thwart the pur- 
pose of Almighty God. Fifteen centuries before, 

Exodus i, n. Pharaoh, alarmed at the growth of the Hebrews 
in Egypt, adopted, Herod-like, the policy of infan- 
ticide, ordering every male infant to be thrown 
into the Nile : with what useless result, the ma- 
jestic story of Moses testifies. And midway be- 
tween Pharaoh and Herod, Athaliah, daughter of 
the infamous Ahab and Jezebel of Samaria and 
queen-consort of Judea, with all the appliances of 
two kingdoms at her beck, determined, Herod- 
like, on the annihilation of the royal line of David : 
with what signal failure and awful disaster to her- 

2 Kings xi. self, the thrilling story of Joash attests. How 
Herod's satanic policy was foiled, and that Son of 
David whom he sought to crush in his cradle 
sprang up triumphant and reigns to-day King of 
kings and Lord of lords, the homage done him by 
myriads on every Christmas and Easter and Sun- 



THE MASSACRE OF TIIE INNOCENTS. 209 

day sublimely attests. And so it has been ever 
since. In every age of the Christian Clmrch, 
kings of the earth have set themselves in battle ar- Psaim u. 
ray, and rulers have taken counsel together against 
Jehovah and against his Anointed, saying — 

Let us break their bands asunder, 
And cast away their cords from us ! 

But in vain have they raged, in vain have they 
imagined. He that sitteth in the heavens hath 
laughed : Jehovah hath had them in derision. 
From age to age all enginery of hate and destruc- 
tion has been planted against the Babe of Beth- 
lehem : king and subject, pagan and Moslem, un- 
believer and bigot, have tried rack and dungeon, 
fagot and cross, learning and eloquence, fist and 
brain. And from age to age there has been bla- 
zoned on slab of king and subject, pagan and 
Moslem, unbeliever and bigot, the legend : — 
"They who sought the young ChilcVs life are 
dead, and the young Child ImethP And so shall 
it ever be. No weapon that is formed against isaiaii iiv, it. 
him shall ever prosper. With every morning Rev. xxii, 16. 
sun, the root and offspring of David, the bright 
morning star, shall rise, sending forth the rod of Psaim ex. 
his strength out of Zion, ruling in the midst of 
his enemies, making his foes his footstool, strik- 
ing through kings in the day of his wrath, glit- 
tering with the dew of immortal youth from the 
womb of the morning. 

Now, therefore, be wise, je kings ; Psalm ii, 10-13. 

Be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 
Serve Jehovah with fear, 
And rejoice with trembling. 



210 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way ; 

For his wrath will soon he kindled. 

Blessed are all they that put their trust in him ! 

Collect. Almighty God, who out of the mouths of babes and 

sucklings hast ordained strength, and madest infants to 
glorify thee by their deaths ; Mortify and kill all vices in 
us, and so strengthen us by thy grace that, by the inno- 
cency of our lives, and constancy of our faith, even unto 
death, we may glorify thy holy name ; through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. 



THE SETTLEMENT AT NAZARETH. 

Matthew ii, 19-23 ; Ltike ii, 39. 

There shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, 
And a branch [netser] out of his roots shall bear fruit. 

Isaiah xi, 1. 



XVII. 
THE SETTLEMENT AT NAZAKETIL 

Matthew ii, 19-23 ; Luke ii, 39. 

How long the Holy Family sojourned in Egypt The Return 
we can not tell, for we do not know the precise rom gypt# 
year of our Lord's birth. "What we do know is 
this : When Herod was dead, an angel of the 
Lord, doubtless the same angel who had already Matt. 1,23; ii, 13. 
twice appeared to Joseph in a dream, again appears 
to him in a dream while in Egypt. " Arise," he 
exclaims to the sleeping Joseph, "and take the 
young Child and his mother, and go into the land 
of Israel : for they are dead who sought the 
young Child's life." No wonder Joseph im- 
mediately arose, and, taking the Holy Babe and 
his blessed mother, hastened back to the land of 
his fathers. 

But where shall the Holy Family take up their The Settle- 
abode ? Their first impulse, it would seem, was to ™ r eth. at aZ ~ 
settle in Bethlehem of Judea. And no wonder. Matt, ii, 22, 23. 
For that spot had become doubly dear to them : 
it was the birthplace of their royal ancestor David ; 
more thrilling still, it was the birthplace of that 
Holy Thing which had been conceived of the Luke i, 35. 



arene. 

Matt. 



214 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Holy Ghost, even the Divine Man. But their 
early, sacred impulse was rudely checked. They 
had heard indeed that Herod was dead ; but now 
they hear that Archelaus, his son, inheritor of his 
father's wickedness, is reigning in his stead ; and 
so they hesitate to execute their purpose of settling 
in Bethlehem of Judea. Moreover, they are again 
divinely warned in a dream to beware of Judea. 
And so, perhaps much against their choice, they 
take up their abode in their old home — the obscure, 
despised, Galilean Nazareth. 
Jesus the Naz- And so was brought to pass, as Matthew pro- 
ceeds to tell us, an ancient prophecy : " That it 
might be fulfilled which was spoken through the 
prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene." 
And yet this specific prophecy is nowhere to be 
found in the Old Testament. The nearest ap- 
proach to it is a clause in the first verse of the 
eleventh chapter of Isaiah, where the Hebrew 
word translated " branch " is "netzer " : 

xi, 1. There shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of 
Jesse, 
And a branch [netzer] out of his roots shall bear fruit. 

Supposing, now, that Matthew has in mind this 
memorable saying of Isaiah, it is evident that in 
declaring it to be fulfilled in the settlement of the 
Holy Family at Nazareth, he makes, so to speak, 
a play on the words he quotes : "A branch [netzer'] 
out of Jesse's roots shall bear fruit " ; " He shall 
be called a branch, a netzer, a JSTazarene." Nor 
is this inconsistent with any just view of inspira- 
tion. Matthew was inspired ; but this did not 



THE SETTLEMENT AT NAZARETH. 215 

forbid his being a rhetorician. If inspiration did 
not prevent St. Paul from using paronomasia, or 
playing on words for sake of vivacity, as he cer- 
tainly often did, why should inspiration prevent St. 
Matthew from doing the same thing? Even the 
Divine Man himself used paronomasia, as when 
he said to Simon Bar-Jonah : " Thou art Peter Matt, xvi, is. 
[petros, rock'], and upon this rock [petra] I will 
build my church." As a matter of fact, Isaiah 
did call the coming Messiah a netzer ; as a matter 
of fact, the contemporaries of the Messiah when 
he had come did call him a Nazarene. Moreover, 
the prophets Jeremiah and Zechariah, as well as Jer. xxjii, 5 ; 
the prophet Isaiah, call the coming Messiah a zech. m, 8; 
Branch. Accordingly, Matthew, taking verbal v1 ' 
advantage of the sound of Isaiah's epithet, " A 
branch [netzer] out of Jesse's roots shall bear 
fruit," declares that the settlement in Nazareth 
was a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy : " Came 
and dwelt in a city called Nazareth [branch, 
sprout, shoot] : that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken through the prophets, that he should 
be called a Nazarene." This seems to be a sim- 
ple, natural explanation of Matthew's comment on 
the settlement at Nazareth. 

But whether this be the true explanation or 
not, God grant that all of us may be in very deed 
Nazarenes, and so scions in the true, immortal, 
divine branch, even him who is the root and the Rev. xxn, 16. 
offspring of David, the bright, the morning-star : 

Holy Saviour, who art the true Vine from which we Collect, 
derive our spiritual life and nourishment, and without 



216 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



whom we can do nothing but wither and die : Be pleased, 
we beseech thee, so to unite us to thee, by the power of 
the Holy Ghost and through the bond of a living faith, 
that, being partakers of thy divine nature, we may bring 
forth much fruit, and for ever abide in thee, as thou dost 
abide in us, until we shall see thee as thou art, and glorify 
and enjoy thee, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for 
ever and ever. Amen. 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Luke ii, 40-52. 

The Lord God hath given me the tongue of them that 

are taught, 
That I should know how to sustain with words him that 

is weary: 
He wakeneth morning hy morning, 
He wakeneth mine ear to hear as they that are taught. 

Isaiah 1, 4. 

19 



XVIII. 
THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHEIST * 

Luke ii, 40-52. 



"The child grew, and waxed strong, filled with The Problem 
wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. . . . Growth * S 
Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in Luke Hj 40> 53- 
favor with God and men." Such are the words 
with which St. Luke outlines the growth of Jesus 
Christ. " But how was this possible ? " the reader 
asks. " Was not Jesus Christ Divine, and there- 
fore infinitely perfect from his very birth ? How, 
then, can it be said that he waxed strong, and 
grew in wisdom and in favor with God and 
men % " 

Observe, then, just where the real difficulty The Incarna- 
lies : it lies not in the fact of growth ; it lies in p^Me^ 1 
the fact of incarnation, or the Divine birth itself. 
For the distance between the Babe of Bethlehem 
and the Man of Nazareth is infinitely less than the 
distance between man and God. The real problem 
is the incarnation. Admit the story of the birth in 
Bethlehem, and you can easily admit the story of 

* This chapter has already appeared among the introductory 
chapters in the volume entitled " Home Worship," A. C. Arm- 
strong & Son, 



220 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Christ's 

Growth im- 
plies no Im- 
perfection. 



the growth in Nazareth. Be it also remembered 
that Jesus Christ, although he was Divine, was 
also hnman, possessing, like any one of us, a com- 
plete human nature, spirit, and soul, and body. 
As such, he was, like any one of us, under the law 
of growth. We all admit that he grew physically, 
dilating from the babe into the man. But it is no 
more mysterious that he should grow inwardly 
than that he should grow outwardly, mentally and 
morally than corporeally. The real problem, let 
me repeat, is the incarnation itself. Believe the 
greater thing, that the "Word became flesh, and 
you can believe the lesser thing, that the enfleshed 
"Word grew. 

But Christ's growth, be it carefully observed, 
implies no sort of imperfection. It is no sign 
of imperfection in a peach-tree that it does not 
bear peaches in spring. It is not necessary that 
an acorn should grow into an oak in order to 
its being perfect as an acorn. Each stage of 
vegetable growth — seed, blade, ear, full corn in 
the ear — has its own characteristic perfectness. 
The Divine Man was perfect along the whole line 
of his human unfolding — perfect as a babe, per- 
fect as a child, perfect as a youth, perfect as a 
man. Beware, then, of a phantom Christ. The 
Word made flesh was all he seemed to be. He 
was a real babe, with a babe's dawning conscious- 
ness ; a real child, with a child's feelings, and 
thoughts, and griefs, and joys ; a real youth, with 
a youth's buoyancies, and temptations, and aspira- 
tions, and opening vistas of vocation ; a real man, 
with a man's full sense of mission or Christhood. 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 221 

Yes, Jesus Christ, as the Word made flesh, was 
under the law of growth, and as such advanced in 
wisdom and favor with God as well as in stature. 

And this growth does not seem to have been Obscurity of 
marked by anything striking. Had it been, the Years. ^ 
presumption is that his biographers would at least 
have hinted it. But their silence, with one excep- 
tion, to be presently noticed, is absolute. They 
give us no hint of his personal appearance, or 
dress, or habits of life. From this silence — all the 
more impressive because in such sharp contrast 
with the apocryphal gospels of the infancy and 
youth — we may safely infer that the evangelists 
recorded nothing because they had nothing strik- 
ing to record. The boy Jesus doubtless grew up 
like the other boys of Palestine — like them, olive- 
complexioned, black-eyed, wearing the Jewish 
dress for youths, joining in innocent sports, attend- 
ing school, learning a trade, observing the annual 
festivals, worshiping in the synagogue. Oh, there 
is something very impressive and touching in this 
silence of the evangelists concerning the thirty 
years at Nazareth. Had they told us that he was 
extraordinarily precocious ; that he secluded him- 
self in conscious sanctity from his fellows ; that he 
wrought prodigies; that he grew up manifestly 
supernatural — we should have felt that he was 
Divinity indeed, but not humanity ; One who was 
over us, but who was not with us and of us. We 
should have adored him, but never loved him ; we 
should have knelt before him, but never kissed 
him. Thank God, it was not so. There does not 
seem to have been anything unusual in his Naza- 



222 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



John i, 45, 46. 



Luke xvii. 20. 

The Lumi- 
nous Excep- 
tion. 

Luke ii, 41-50. 



The Passover 

Visit. 
Luke ii, 41, 42. 



rene career. The very silence here of the evan- 
gelists is thrilling, for it brings the Divine Man 
within the range of our human sympathies and 
affections, thoroughly identifying him with our 
average humanity. So entirely ordinary and even 
obscure was that Nazarene life, that Nathanael, 
who lived in the almost adjacent town of Cana, 
seems never to have even heard of Jesus. Even his 
brothers, brought up by his side, we are told with 
a touch of infinite pathos, did not believe on him. 
Unlike the pictures of the artists, that sacred head 
for thirty years was without halo. He grew up, 
as grows his own kingdom, without observation. 

But there was, as just hinted, one exception to 
this profound obscurity : it was his visit while a 
lad to Jerusalem. Although it is the only re- 
corded incident of his life between his return as 
a babe from Egypt and his baptism on entering 
his public ministry, yet this incident is of rich sig- 
nificance, illuminating, like a broad band of sun- 
light, the whole of the thirty years. To this mem- 
orable exception let us now attend. 

Although Joseph and Mary, as devout Jews, 
must have been accustomed to go up every year to 
Jerusalem to attend the great feast of the Pass- 
over, it does not appear that Jesus had ever accom- 
panied them. But now he is twelve years old, 
and therefore, according to the Jewish constitu- 
tion, a " son of the law," entitled to the privilege 
of a personal participation in the sacred rites of 
Judaism. And so he accompanies his parents in 
their Passover ascent to Jerusalem. We can see 
the caravan, representing every family in Naza- 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 223 

reth, starting from that provincial village, and 
winding between the green hills of Galilee. What 
historic spots they pass in their eighty miles' jour- 
ney southward! — Jezreel, and Gilboa, and Do- 
than, and Samaria, and Shechem, and Jacob's 
Well, and Shiloh, and Gilgal, and Bethel, and 
Kamah, and Gibeon, and Mizpeh. At last their 
straining eyes catch a glimpse of the City of Psalm xiviii, 
God, so beautiful for situation, the joy of the 
whole earth, the City of the great King. As 
their feet gain the crest of the last ridge of the 
mountains that are round about Jerusalem, they 
burst into one of the pilgrim psalms, or songs of 
ascent, perhaps the psalm beginning — 

I was glad when they said unto me, Psalm cxxii. 

Let us go into the house of Jehovah. 

Our feet are standing 

Within thy gates, O Jerusalem ! 

Thus chanting, they enter the holy city, and begin 
the sacred festivities of Passover-week. 

And now, having performed all the offices of The Missin 
the great feast, doubtless according to the ritual , p h !! d * , 

• T t-f f Luke "' 43 ' 44 - 

which Moses fifteen centuries before had pre- Exodus xm. 
scribed, the Galilean pilgrims break up their en- 
campment, and start homeward. But the lad 
Jesus for some reason remains behind. As the 
caravan consists of many Galileans besides those 
from Nazareth, and as, according to an Eastern 
custom still prevailing, it starts for the first day 
late in the afternoon, going but a little distance, 
Joseph and Mary, taking it for granted that their 



224 THE DIVINE MAN. 

in the general caravan, do not miss him till they 
reach their first encampment. Great is their sur- 
prise and anxiety when at nightfall they can not 
find their loved Boy in the tents of any of their 
kinsfolk or acquaintances. 

The Boy Jesus And so at early dawn they retrace their steps 
m the Tem- to j enisa i enij an d spend the second day in fruitless 

Luke ii, 45-50. search for him. The third day they bethink them- 
selves of what as we might have supposed would 
have been their first thought, the temple. — Thith- 
er they hasten, and there, in one of the clois- 
ters, they find him. And, lo, he is sitting among 
the doctors, both hearing them and asking them 
questions. So searching are his queries and so 
profound his answers that even the learned doctors 
themselves are astounded. Not that there is in 
his manner anything pert or consciously superior. 
He is simply asking questions, as was the right of 
any catechumen or son of the law. But he has all 
the sacred and baffling inqnisitiveness of an inno- 
cent, guileless, perfect childhood. He has come 
up from provincial Nazareth to the city of the 
rabbis and authorized teachers of Israel. He is 
now in the presence of the most renowned ex- 
pounders of the law and the prophets. Now he 
may ask, it may be, of Hillel, the illustrious Looser, 
himself. And he has a thousand questions to ask 
— questions which he had pondered in his own 
village home, but which he has not been able to 
answer. For example : " What," we can hear 
him asking, " is the meaning of this precept of 
Moses? How shall I understand that saying of 
Isaiah ? What does this rite signify ? Why that 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 225 

ordinance % "What did the prophets mean when 
they speak of One who is Jehovah's Anointed ? 
Has that Anointed One come, or is he yet to make 
his appearance ? How reconcile this precept of 
the rabbis with that precept of Moses ? " Such 
are some of the questions, unintentionally baffling, 
which artless childhood intuitively puts. And so, 
in presence of this guileless Boy from Nazareth, 
pupilage unconsciously becomes doctorate, and 
doctorate becomes pupilage. Nor are his parents 
less amazed. So naturally had the Nazarene flow- 
er unfolded that they had failed to perceive that 
it had been all along supernatural. " Child," re- 
proachfully exclaims the mother, " why hast thou 
thus dealt with us ? Behold, thy father and I 
sought thee sorrowing." " How is it that ye 
sought me % " artlessly replies the heavenly Boy. 
" Wist ye not that I must be in my Father's house, 
about my Father's business % " They are the first 
recorded words of the Divine Man. They pour a 
flood of light upon his character and tenor of life. 
Although he has grown up silently, without ob- 
servation, yet his unfolding has been profoundly 
religious. True, this visit to Jerusalem and its 
temple is a crisis in his career. Doubtless it opens 
to him a fresh glimpse of his mission and destiny, 
a new vista of his Christhood. Nevertheless, all 
is in harmony with his previous career. All these 
years the heavenly Plant has been unfolding, and 
now appears the first blossom. Yet the growth 
has been perfectly natural. And, therefore, his 
surprise is that his .parents are surprised : " How 
is it that ye have been seeking me ? Did ye not 



226 THE DIVINE MAN. 

know that I must be about my Fathers business ? " 
For it is of the very nature of a tree that it must 
soar. Ay, that word " must " is the sacred, blessed 
" must" of a holy, perfect childhood. '-'And they 
understood not the saying which he spake unto 
them." It was not the only time that earth has 

John s, 10, 11. failed to understand heaven. Verily, he was in 
the w T orld, and the world was made by him, and 
the world knew him not ; he came unto his own, 
and his own received him not. But, although his 
parents understood him not, it is blessed to know 

Luke u, 19, 5i. that his mother pondered all these things in her 
heart. 

The Return " And he went down with them, and came to 
into Obscur- Nazareth . and he was su ]yject unto them." What 

Luke ii, si. a beautiful instance this is of filial subordination 
and reverence and love, a model for all time. But 
we shall recur to this point. Meantime it only 
needs to be added in this connection that, in 
his return to Nazareth, he re-enters the obscurity 
which has marked hitherto his boyhood. In that 
obscurity he remains eighteen years longer, until 
the day of his manifestation unto Israel and man- 
kind. Yet that period of his obscurity was also 
the period of his growth and training for his un- 
paralleled mission as Jehovah's Messiah and Lamb. 
And now let us dwell for a moment on that Naza- 
rene life, and scan in detail the method of his 
training. 

The School of And first, there was the school of home. I do 
not refer here to the lessons consciously taught by 
parents so much as to the lessons unconsciously 
taught by the home institution itself. We are 



Home. 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 227 

trained for the celestial home in the school of the 

terrestrial, learning the heavenly sonhood in the 

exercise of an earthly, the universal brotherhood 

in the sphere of a personal. For that is not first 1 cor. xv, 46. 

which is spiritual, but that which is natural ; then 

that which is spiritual. Home — that is to say, 

true home — is the best soil for the germination 

and growth of large, solid, abiding character. Sad 

the day when the child begins to feel a distaste 

for home. The spendthrift of our Lord's parable Luke xv, 12, 13. 

began to be the lost son the moment he began to 

be tired of his father's house. Christ's stay of 

thirty years beneath his mother's roof is an eternal 

glorification of the home institution. Himself the 

Son of man, born of a woman, born under law, he Gai. iv, 4. 

was trained, like other sons of men, in the school 

of home. 

Again, there was the school of subordination. The School of 
We have seen how, after his visit to Jerusalem at 
the age of twelve, he returned with his parents to 
Nazareth, and continued subject unto them. What 
a marvelous thing : the world's Maker and Law- 
giver and Judge a subject to a Galilean carpenter 
and his lowly wife ! Yet even he, as the Son of 
man, needed just such discipline. For him it was 
no less true than it is for us that it is good for a 
man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Loyalty 
is the mother of royalty. 

Again, there was the school of toil. There The School of 
is no reason for supposing that Joseph and Mary 
were especially poor, and therefore that Jesus was 
brought up in absolute poverty. They seem, in- 
deed, to have been in lowly circumstances, but not 



Subordina- 
tion. 



Lam. iii, 27. 



Toil. 



22S THE DIVINE MAN. 

Matt, xiii, 55. in miserable. Joseph was a carpenter, or, as the 
original may perhaps be better rendered, an artifi- 
cer ; and Jesus was evidently brought up at the 

Mark vi, i-3. same craf t. " Is not this the carpenter ? " ex- 
claimed his townsmen when they saw his miracles 
in Nazareth, and heard his wisdom in the syna- 
gogue. Behold, then, the Creator of the universe 
a mechanic, toiling in a Galilean workshop. Ah, 
how this educates him for sympathy with what 
must ever be the preponderating class of humanity, 
the working-class. Himself a workman of the 
guild of toil, Jesus Christ is emphatically the 
workingman's friend. 

The School of Again, there was the school of society. No 
Society, clesert education was his, like that of his forerunner, 
John the Baptizer. This child is yet to shake 
mankind, and therefore he must understand man- 
kind. He must feel the quickening, broadening, 
rounding power of society. And so he is brought 
up, not in any cave of Quarantania, but amid the 
social interchanges of his family — his mother 

Matt, xiii, 55, 56 Mary, his brothers James and Joseph and Simon 
and Judas, and his sisters — and of the community 
of Nazareth. 

The School of Again, there was the school of isolation, 
isolation. What t]l0Ugll k e was -b r0U gi lt U p in society ? So- 
ciety comprehended him not. On his very advent 

Luke iv, 16-30. as a teacher in the synagogue of Nazareth, his 
own townsmen, who had known him from infancy, 
rose up against him, and undertook to hurl him 
headlong from the brow of the hill on which their 

johnvii, 5. city was built. Even his brothers, sons of his own 

John i, 13. mother, did not believe on him. He came unto 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 229 

his own, and they that were his own received him 

not. He was indeed left alone ; yet he was not John xvi, 32. 

alone, for the Father was with him. And so he 

grew np amid society ; in it, but not of it. And 

therefore was he duly trained for his mighty work. 

For the foundations of character are laid in moral 

solitude. Man's grandest victories are, and ever 

must be, won single-handed. 

Again, there was the school of the synagogue. The School of 
Every day in the week, and three times every Synagogue. 
Saturday or the Jewish Sabbath, Jesus went to the 
synagogue, where he saw a model of the ark of the 
covenant, and the scrolls of the sacred books, and 
joined in the prescribed prayers, and listened to 
the reading of the two lessons — the one from the 
law, the other from the prophets. Here, in the 
synagogue of Nazareth, he who was greater than Matt, xii, 6. 
Jerusalem's temple was trained, by gazing on type 
and ceremony and by listening to law and prophet, 
for his own mighty service as the world's true and 
immortal sanctuary. 

Again, there was the school of Providence. The^ School of 
That guileless nature, we can easily believe, was 
especially sensitive to the hints and open to the 
lessons which the heavenly Father is constantly 
giving in the events and arrangements of daily life. 
The Lord God gave him the tongue of the learner, 
that he should know how to sustain with words 
him that is weary : he wakened him morning by 
morning ; he wakened his ear to hear as the learner. 
Daily Providence was his daily teacher. 

Again, there was the school of Nature. Naza- The School of 
reth, although situated in populous Galilee of the 
20 



Providence. 



Nature. 



230 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Gentiles, was itself a secluded spot, somewhat 
aside from the highways, exquisitely embowered 
in an amphitheater of thyme-clad hills. The little 
town itself is nearly twelve hundred feet above 
the sea, and the height, on the slope of which it is 
built, is five hundred feet higher. From the crest 
glorious glimpses of Nature are attainable. One 
can see to the east graceful Tabor, to the south 
emerald Esdraelon, to the west blue Mediterra- 
nean, to the north snowy Hermon. That noble 
hill the youthful Jesus must have often climbed 
to gather its odorous wild-flowers, and listen to the 
warble of its birds, and drink in the glorious 
beauty which gleams around. Growing up amid 
these scenes of rural loveliness, with a heart joy- 
ously open to the lessons which Nature pours forth 
for those who " hold communion with her visible 
forms," Jesus came to understand her, and take on 
her language and mien, and so was trained to be- 
come her interpreter, or the parable-speaker. 
The School of Again, there was the school of routine. 
There does not seem, let me repeat, to have been 
anything startling in all those thirty years ; other- 
wise, the evangelists would have mentioned it. 
Doubtless it was the same unbroken, monotonous 
routine of family and workshop and synagogue, 
week after week, month after month, year after 
year. Yet it was in this very routine of dull mo- 
notony that the second Adam trained himself for 
the gigantic task of undoing the work of the first 
Adam, and restoring the garden of Eden. Here 
is a rich lesson for those of us who are chafing 
against the dry routine of household cares or school 



Routine. 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 231 

or shop. The frequent and tedious drill is the best 
preparation for the battle paean. 

Again, there was the school of delay. Dur- The School of 
ing those long thirty years Jesus doubtless often De ay " 
yearned to enter at once upon his glorious mission 
as the Christ of God and the Saviour of men. 
But, unlike the great lawgiver of Sinai, who in 
" proud precipitance of soul" unduly hastened the Exod. a, 11-15. 
day of Israel's emancipation, Jesus Christ grandly 
abided his time. Thus grandly abiding his time, 
he was enabled to achieve in three years what 
otherwise, humanly speaking, he could not have 
achieved in twenty years. It is a great lesson for 
young men. Not that enterprise and courage and 
energy are not praiseworthy. They are most noble 
traits. But there is such a thing as prematurity, 
and prematurity is apt to mean failure. This les- 
son of patience is especially needed in our times 
and land. It is an age of swift things, morally as 
well as physically. Society moves on the principle 
of high pressure. Young men become disgusted • 
with the tedium of apprenticeship and clerkship 
and college - course. They are eager while yet 
youths to launch and manage their own crafts. 
Hence many become old before their prime, their 
intellect eccentered or shattered, their character 
wrecked. Young man, patiently abide your time. 
There is no heroism like the heroism of patience, 
no majesty like the majesty of self-continence. 
Yes, it is good that a man should hope and quietly Lam. m, 20. 
wait for the salvation of Jehovah. Sooner or 
later, the trial crisis will come. May we all meet 
ours as victoriously as the Nazarene met his ! 



232 THE DIVINE MAN. 

The School of Again, there was the school of temptation. 
Temptation. For no man knows what is in him till he is tempt- 
ed. And temptation is not only essential to char- 
acter-disclosing, temptation is also essential to 
character-building. Temptations felt and van- 
quished are the stoutest materials out of which to 
build an adamantine character. And Jesus, as 
being human, knew what temptation means. 
Think not that he was tempted only in wilderness, 
on pinnacle, and on mountain. He was tempted 
all the way from manger to tomb. Thank God, 

johnxiv, 30. at whatever time the prince of the world came 
upon him, he had nothing in him. For this is 
what enabled him to become our sympathizer and 

Heb. iv, 15. helper. Having been in all points tempted like 

Heb. ii, is. as we are, yet without sin, he is able to succor all 
those who are tempted, in that he himself hath 
suffered being tempted. 

The School of And so, lastly and comprehensively, there was 
xpenence. ^ gc ] 100 ] f experience. For there is no educa- 
tion like the education of personal experience. 
Nothing can take the place of it : neither wealth, 
nor genius, nor splendid opportunities, nor indom- 
itable will. Experience is just what it is, that is, 
experience, and in the nature of the case can never 
have its equivalent. And experience requires 
time. It can not be created. It can not be 
bought. And experience is absolutely indispen- 
sable to character-building. For what is character 
but experience deposited in the sea of time, and 
petrified into habits ? And as in Nature, so in 
morals : the slower the crystallization, the more 
perfect and abiding. And all this was as true for 



THE TRAINING OF JESUS CHRIST. 233 

the Christ as it is for you and me. This, in fact, 
is the meaning of the thirty years' training. The 
Son of man might have bolted down into the 
world an unborn adult ; but, then, it would have 
been only his body which was full-grown. His 
moral nature would have been as characterless as 
a babe's ; for character is the aggregate of habits, 
and habits are the issues of experiences. But no ; 
he was born of a woman — born under law. As Gai.iv,4. 
such, it was as needful for him as it is for us to 
pass through the unfolding process of a personal 
experience. And so he was trained, as we have 
seen, in various schools — the school of home, and 
subordination, and toil, and society, and isolation, 
and synagogue, and providence, and nature, and 
routine, and delay, and temptation, and experi- 
ence. And so, learning obedience by the things Heb. v, 8, 9. 
which he suffered, and having thereby been made 
perfect, he also became unto all them that obey 
him the author of eternal salvation. And so, 
through the obedience of that one Man, many Rom. v, 12. 
have been and, praised be his name, many more 
shall be made righteous. 

Such is the story of the home-life of the Divine 
Man. As that Greater than Solomon was rearing 
that temple nobler than Moriah's, no stroke of 1 Kings vi, 7. 
hammer, or ax, or any tool of iron was heard. 

No workman's steel, no ponderous axes rung, Heber's "Pales- 



Like some tall palm the noiseless fabric sprung. 



tine. 



The great lesson, then, of the home-life at Naz- Every-dayLife 



areth is this : Every-day life our training-school 
for heaven. What though we are not attending 



our Train- 
ing - School 
for Heaven, 



234 THE DIVINE MAN. 

college ? No one of us is so poor as not to have 
Christ's advantages ; and among these advantages 
was the college of commonplace, the university 
of daily home-life. Chafe not, then, against the 
bars of routine surroundings. Be content with 
your inconspicuousness. The training for the 
crisis of Calvary is the e very-clay life of Nazareth. 
When this every-day home-life of ours shall be 
reviewed at the judgment-bar, may it be for each 
of us, whether parent or child, master or servant, 
to hear from the lips of the Nazarene Judge the 
blessed plaudit — 
Matt, xsv, 21. " Well done, good and faithful servant : thou 

hast oeen faithful over a few things, I will set 
thee over many things : enter thou into the joy of 
thy Lord.' 11 ' 

Collect. Almighty God, Fatter of all mercies, we, thine un- 

worthy servants, do give thee most humble and hearty 
thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us, and 
to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, 
and all the blessings of this life ; but above all, for thine in- 
estimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord 
Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of 
glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all 
thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, 
and that we may show forth thy praise, not only with our 
lips, but in our lives ; by giving up ourselves to thy service, 
and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness 
all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, 
with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, 
world without end. Amen. 






THE BAPTIST'S HERALDRY. 

Matthew iii, 1-12; Mark i, 1-8; Luke iii, 1-18. 

The voice of one that crieth in the wilderness, 
Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, 
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

Isaiah xl, 3. 



XIX. 
THE BAPTIST'S HERALDRY. 

Matthew iii, 1-12 ; Mark i, 1-8 ; Lpke iii, 1-18. 

" Gkeat events cast their shadows before." The Voice in 
Never was the saying truer than in the case of the * e g S _ x er " 
inauguration of the public ministry of Jesus the Matt, iii, i-i. 
Christ. It was not meet that the Sun of Right- 
eousness should rise without the heraldry of morn- 
ing-star. When, therefore, the Son of man, hav- 
ing been duly trained for his mighty enterprise in 
the schools of home, and subordination, and toil, 
and society, and isolation, and synagogue, and 
providence, and nature, and routine, and delay, 
and temptation, and experience, had reached the 
age of about thirty years, and was just entering Luke iii, 23. 
his public ministry as the Christ of God, there 
also emerged into public view a striking character, 
whose glory it was to be the Christ's harbinger. 
He also has had bis training ; but, unlike his Mas- 
ter's, it bas been in the school of the desert. And 
now, the day of his showing unto Israel having Luke i, so. 
come, John also begins his public ministry, going Luke iii, 2-0. 
into all the region round about Jordan, preaching 
the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins, 
saying, " Repent ye ; for the kingdom of heaven 



238 THE DIVINE MAN. 

[the promised Messianic dispensation] is at hand ! " 
And in thus preaching, he proves himself to be 
that illustrious herald whose advent Jehovah had 
foretold through his prophet Malachi, saying — 

Mai. iii, i. Behold, I send my messenger, 

And be shall prepare the way before me ; 

and again through his prophet Isaiah, saying — 

Isaiah xl, 3-5. The voice of one that crieth, 

Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah, 

Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

Every valley shall be exalted, 

And every mountain and hill shall be made low ; 

And the crooked shall be made straight, 

And the rough places plain : 

And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, 

And all flesh shall see it together : 

For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. 

The imagery is borrowed from the Oriental custom 
of preparing the way for monarchs in their royal 
progresses. Thus, we have records of the triumph- 
al highways built at great expense by Semiramis, 
Sennacherib, Assurbanipal, and others, through 
craggy heights and deep gorges.* And admirably 
does this Eastern custom set forth the office of 



* The same thing has occurred lately. " When Ibrahim Pasha 
proposed to visit certain places on Lebanon, the emirs and sheiks 
sent forth a general proclamation to all the inhabitants to assem- 
ble along the proposed route, and prepare the way before him. 
The same thing was done in 1854, on a grand scale, when the 
sultan visited Bresa. The stones were gathered out, crooked 
places straightened, and rough ones made level and smooth. I 
had the benefit of their labor a few days after his Majesty's visit." 
— " The Land and the Book." 



THE BAPTIST'S HERALDRY. 239 

John as the Messiah's forerunner. The plowman 
mnst go before the sower, breaking up the fallow 
soil, loosening the dense and tangled sod, uproot- 
ing the thorns. Repentance must precede remis- 
sion, the law the gospel, the preacher of wrath the 
preacher of love. And so the son of the desert 
went before the face of the Christ in the spirit and Luke i, 17. 
power of Elijah, turning the hearts of the fathers 
to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the 
wisdom of the just ; to make ready for the Lord a 
people prepared for him. 

Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all The Revival 
Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and 

, .-,?-,. • -, • -r , Matt, iii, 5, 6. 

they were baptized by him m the river Jordan, 
confessing their sins. It must have been a most 
impressive scene. Let us try to realize it. The 
locality is the wilderness of Judea — the wild, cav- 
ernous, thinly settled pasture region lying to the 
southeast of Jerusalem, in the direction of the 
lower Jordan and the Dead Sea. The preacher is 
a hermit — stern, uncompromising, denunciatory ; 
his dress, a shaggy garment of camel's hair; his 
food, locusts and wild honey— a genuine son of 
the desert. His theme is repentance in view of 
the approaching reign of the Messiah. His audi- 
ence is all Judea. There is the supercilious Phari- 
see. There is the scoffing Sadducee. There is 
the glowering publican. There is the swaggering 
soldier. And many of these, wonderful to say, 
are coming to John for baptism, thereby confess- 
ing their uncleanness, and desire for purification. 
It was a striking instance of a general revival or 
spiritual ferment, recalling the religious awaken- 



the Revival. 



240 THE DIVINE MAN. 

ings under a Hezekiah, a Josiah, an Ezra, a Peter, 
a Savonarola, a Bernard, a Lnther, a Whitefield, a 
Moody. 

Occasion of Nor is it difficult to account for this wide- 

spread and profound agitation. In the first place, 
the people were chafing under the yoke of pagan 
Kome. Remembering that they were Jehovah's 
covenant - people, their yearning for deliverance 
naturally took on a religious form. Again, there 
was at this time among the Jews, and perhaps 
throughout the East, the expectation, more or less 
distinct, of one who was to be a heaven-sent 
deliverer. Hearing of the sanctity of Judea's her- 
mit, how natural that the Jews, weary of bondage 
and shame, should flock to John in the hope that 
he was the promised one. Again, there is in 
asceticism something which is fascinating. It be- 
tokens an exceptional, earnest character ; and men 
are ever moved by the exceptional, especially when 
it takes the form of terrible moral earnestness. 
And John was a terribly earnest ascetic. A start- 
ling antithesis was he to the phylacteried, self- 
complacent, superficial, hollow rabbi of his day ; 
and his power lay largely in being this antithe- 
sis. And therefore all Israel flocked to his preach- 
ing, feeling the thrall of his magnetism, even as 
idolatrous Israel centuries before had swayed un- 
der stormy Elijah, and as voluptuous Italy centu- 
ries afterward bowed before stern Savonarola, 
and frivolous France centuries still later grew 
solemn before saintly Lacordaire. Once more, 
John's message was a message of terror. No 
soothing words were his, no soporific platitudes, 



THE BAPTIST'S HERALDEY. 241 

no oily compliments. His matter was like his 
manner, his words like his own stony wilds, his 
rough dress of camel's hair, his food of locusts, 
His speech was concerning wrath and vipers and 
repentance and ax and falling trees and winnow- 
ing-fan and chaff and fire. Not the dove was his 
crest : his escutcheon was the ax. And with very 
many persons terror has always been a fascinating 
power. So it was in Assyria when heathen Nine- 
veh robed herself in sackcloth before the denun- 
ciation of Hebrew Jonah. So it was in France 
when awakened Europe wept and groaned he- 
fore the Tartarean oratory of St. Bernard. So it 
was in New England when Northampton church - 
member and Stockbridge Indian quailed and wailed 
before the wrathful eloquence of Edwards. So it 
was in Palestine when all Judea thronged around 
the thundering, ax-armed son of the wilderness, 
and, confessing their sins, besought of him the 
cleansing of baptism. 

And now let us note somewhat in detail the John's Varied 
varied counsels of the recluse of Judea's wild to Counsels - 
the multitudes who flocked to his preaching and 
baptism ; for, unworldly though he was, he ad- 
justed his deliverances to the varied needs of his 
diversified listeners, like a wise almoner of treas- 
ures, rightly dividing the word of truth. Among 
the multitudes who lined the shore of the sacred 
river were many Pharisees and Sadducees. But 
how came such persons to be there ? Were not 
the Pharisees proud and self-complacent and ex- 
emplary, as touching the law blameless ? Were Phil, m, c. 
not the Sadducees caviling skeptics, denying res- Acts xxm, e. 
21 



242 THE DIVINE MAN. 

urrection and angel arid spirit ? How, then, came 
such persons to the Jordan to listen to the wrath- 
ful eloquence of the stern apostle of repentance ? 
Ah, there are times when the proudest, most 
worldly of natures are stirred to their very depths. 
There are times when even the Pharisee finds that 
his rubric is too narrow and icy, and that he has 
been living a hollow life. There are times when 
even the Sadducee feels his moral nature asserting 
itself at cost of every barrier of unbelief and moral 
petrifaction. There are times when conscience 
speaks louder than will or passion. The Phari- 
sees and Sadducees of our John were living in just 
such a time. The spirit of the Lord God was 
abroad in the land, and they heard the sound 
thereof, and so they came trooping to the preach- 
ing of John. And what does John say to them ? 
Does he accept their presence as a compliment to 
himself, and say honeyed things in return % Lis- 
ten : " O generation of serpents, why are ye here ? 
O brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from 
the coming wrath ? Repent ye : look back on your 
wicked past, recall in sorrow its evil perversities, 
amend your sinful ways, bring forth fruits worthy 
of reformation, turn back to your fathers' God. 
Trust not in your mint and anise and cummin and 
dill, your many and long prayers, your broad phy- 
lacteries. Rely not on your lineage and the piety 
of your ancestors. Think not to say within your- 
selves : Abraham is our father ! For I say unto 
you that God is able out of these Jordan pebbles 
to raise up children unto Abraham. Repent, 
therefore, and forsake your sins — your fanaticism 



THE BAPTIST'S HERALDRY. 243 

and self-conceit and hypocrisy. Turn again to the 
God of your fathers ; for so will ye become Abra- 
ham's children. Ye will not always be able to 
deceive. The reader of hearts, even God's Prophet 
and man's King, is at hand. Already is the ax 
lying at the root of the trees ; and every tree that 
beareth not good fruit is to be hewn down and cast 
into the fire. ' Repent, therefore, for the Messiah's 
own reign is at hand." 

But not only were the aristocracy there ; there 
also were the commonalty. Having heard the 
stern counsel to Pharisee and Sadducee, they in 
their turn ask : " What, then, must we do % " The 
answer is ready and pertinent : " He that hath two 
coats, let him impart to him that hath none ; and 
he that hath food, let him do likewise. For the 
coming kingdom is to be a brotherhood, or com- 
monwealth, where every one will love his neigh- 
bor as himself. Be not anxious, then, to secure 
riches, except for the purpose of distributing them 
to the needy ; for so will ye become children of 
your Father in heaven, who giveth liberally to all James i, 5. 
and upbraideth not." Another class, too, was 
there — a dishonest, insolent, infamous class. There 
came also publicans to be baptized, saying : " Mas- 
ter, what must we do ? " Again, the answer 
is prompt and apposite : " Extort no more than 
that which is appointed you. Ye have great op- 
portunities for deception and extortion and ill- 
gotten wealth. I do not demand that ye resign 
your office : I do demand that ye resist the tempta- 
tions of official life. Exact no more than the law 
provides." But not only Jews flocked to John's 



2±4 THE DIVINE MAN. 

ministry ; heathen were also there, even stout, 
haughty, domineering, reckless soldiers from the 1 
Roman army of occupation. They, too, have been 
swept into the torrent of religious excitement, aud 
in their turn ask : " And we, what must we do ? " 
And, again, the answer is prompt and brave and 
apposite : " Extort from no man by violence, 
neither accuse any one wrongfully ; and be content 
with .your wages." For violence and falsehood 
and avarice were the three precise sins to which 
the Roman soldier when on foreign soil was es- 
pecially tempted. Thus did the desert-preacher 
rightly divide the word of truth, giving to each 
his appropriate share, not demanding of the pub- 
lican repentance for the Pharisee's self-righteous- 
ness, nor of the Sadducee penitence for the sol- 
dier's crime. In this respect, at least, John of the 
desert was a model preacher. Would God, all the 
ministers of his word were as faithful ! 

The Coming And as the people were in expectation, and all 
aptizer. were reasoning in their hearts concerning John, 
whether haply he were the Christ, John answered, 
saying unto them all : '"I indeed baptize you with 
water ; but there cometh he that is mightier than 
I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to 
unloose : he shall baptize you with the Holy 

Matt, in, li. Ghost and with fire." " I indeed baptize you in 
water unto repentance." The question has been 
greatly debated as to the precise point in Jewish 
history when the rite of baptism began to be prac- 
ticed. But the question is not very important. 
Enough that baptism, as a symbol of moral cleans- 
ing, is founded in natural sesthetics, or the instinct 



THE BAPTIST'S HERALDRY. 245 

of propriety. Hence, the frequent ablutions and 
lustrations of the Mosaic ritual. As is usual in 
such matters, the ritual took on in the course of 
time numerous unauthorized and trivial details, so 
that in the time of our Lord the Pharisees hap- Mark vii, \-a. 
tized even their cups, and pots, and brazen vessels. 
Seizing on this instinctive custom of ablution as a 
sign of moral cleansing, John adopted it, and put 
it forward as one of the features of his ministry, 
so that his habit of baptizing gave him his title — 
John the Baptizer. But John put into the old 
rite a new meaning. It was as though he had 
said : " I indeed baptize you in water ; but it is no 
mere ceremonial cleansing, like the lustrations of 
Moses, or the Pharisaic baptism of dishes : my 
baptism means the cleansing of repentance, even a 
genuine change and rectification of character, unto 
the remission of sins. I indeed baptize you in 
water unto repentance." At the same time, John 
the Baptizer knew that his baptizing was only a 
symbol, having no real power to change and cleanse 
the character. And so he proceeds to add : " But 
there cometh after me One mightier than I, the 
latchet of whose sandal I am not worthy to stoop 
down and unloose ; he will baptize you in the 
Holy Spirit and in fire." It was as though the 
forerunner had said : " The Messiah, whose menial 
I am not worthy to be, is at hand : he will bestow 
upon you the true cleansing; he will flood you 
with all spiritual influences and blessings, purify- 
ing you as by fire — this is why he is mightier than 
I. My baptism is only a symbol — it conveys no 
real grace ; Messiah's baptism is the substance — it 



Winnower. 
Luke iii, 17. 



246 THE DIVINE MAN. 

really changes, and renews, and saves." Ah, this 
is the reason why he who is least in the kingdom 
of heaven — the Messianic reign — is greater than 
John the Baptist ; he has received the baptism of 
the Spirit. 

The _ Coming But the coming Messiah will not only baptize 
in the Spirit ; he will also discriminate. His win- 
nowing-fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly 
cleanse his threshing-floor, and gather the wheat 
into his garner ; but the chaff he will burn with 
fire unquenchable. It was as though the hermit- 
preacher had said : " The time for unerring dis- 
crimination and reverseless judgment has come : 

Luke ii, 34, 35. the Divine Child, appointed for the falling and 
the rising of many in Israel, has been born ; and 
now thoughts out of many hearts will be revealed. 

Mai. iii, i-3. Ay, the Lord, even the angel of the covenant, has 
suddenly come to his temple. But who may abide 
the day of his coming, and who shall stand when 
he appeareth % for he is like a refiner's fire, and 
like fullers' soap, sitting as a refiner and purifier 

Mai. in, is. of silver. Kow shall ye discern between the right- 
eous and the wicked — between him that serveth. 
God and him that serveth him not. Even now 
the ax is lying at the root of the trees ; every tree 
that beareth not good fruit is to be cut down, and 

isaiah i, si. cast into the fire. Then shall the strong "be as tow, 
and his work as a spark ; and they shall both burn 

Mai. iii, 17. together, and none shall quench them. But Jeho- 
vah knoweth those who are his, and in that day 
that he is preparing he shall spare them, as a man 

Matt, xiii, 43. spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall 
the righteous shine forth as the sun in the king- 



THE BAPTIST'S HERALDRY. 247 

doin of their Father. He that hath ears, let him 

hear." "With these and many other exhortations, Luke m, is. 

preached John unto the people. 

Such is the proclamation of the forerunner — 
the voice of one crying in the wilderness. 

Has that voice died away ? No ; the Church The Church a 
of the living God is a second John the Baptist, the Baptized 
Hers it is to lift up her voice in the world's great 
wilderness, and, making proclamation of the com- 
ing King, prepare the way before him, removing 
all obstructions, filling every valley of want, level- 
ing every mountain of pride, straightening every 
crooked habit, smoothing every roughness of en- 
vironment, and so ushering in the day when all 
flesh shall indeed see the salvation of God. Be it 
ours, then, to be as true to our mission as John 
was to his, reduplicating that ancient voice in the 
wilderness, and shouting to Pharisee and Saddu- 
cee, to profligate and reprobate, Repent, for the 
kingdom of heaven is at hand ! 

Lord Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send Collect, 
thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee ; Grant that 
the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise 
so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts 
of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy 
second coming to judge the world we may be found an ac- 
ceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with 
the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world with- 
out end. Amen. 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST. 

Matthew hi, 13-17 ; Mark i, 9-11 ; Luke iii, 21, 22. 

Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them 
with water. 

Leviticus viii, 6. 



XX. 

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHKIST. 

Matthew iii, 13-17 ; Mark i, 9-11 ; Luke iii, 21, 22. 

The hermit-preacher is still lifting up his voice The Baptism 
in the wilderness. How long he continued his Jesus, 

heraldry of the coming King, we have not been ' ' 
told. We only know that, while fulfilling his 
mission as the harbinger of the approaching king- 
dom, Jesus himself came from Nazareth of Gali- 
lee to the Jordan unto John to be baptized by 
him. It is the first recorded notice of him since, 
when twelve years old, he visited Jerusalem to at- Luke a, 41-52. 
tend the Passover, and, while there, amazed the 
doctors in the temple, and thence returned to Naz- 
areth, continuing subject to his parents eighteen 
years longer. But, although this Nazarene life of 
thirty years was a period of profound obscurity, 
yet John of the desert must have known Jesus of 
the workshop. Their mothers seem to have been 
kinswomen; both the children had been born 
under supernatural circumstances ; John had al- 
ready done homage to Jesus while as yet both 
were unborn. What though they had been reared 
and were living in different parts of the sacred 
land % They were kinsmen, and must have often 



252 THE DIVINE MAN. 

met and exchanged family greetings at the great 
festivals in the holy city. Accordingly, there is 
every reason to believe that John was personally 
acquainted with his cousin Jesus. Not that John 
on the occasion of his baptizing Jesus was fully 
aware that his cousin was the promised Messiah. 
He himself, referring to that memorable occasion, 
testifies thus : "I have beheld the Spirit descend- 
ing as a dove out of heaven, and it abode upon 
him. And I knew him not ; but he that sent me 
to baptize with water, he said unto me, Upon 
whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, 
and abiding upon him, the same is he that bap- 
tizeth with the Holy Spirit." But, although John 
does not seem to have been aware of the Christ- 
hood and Divinity of his kinsman Jesus, he cer- 
tainly was aware of his saintliness. When, there- 
fore, this saintly One from Nazareth comes to him 
and asks baptism at his hands, no wonder he 
shrinks back in unaffected surprise and humility, 
saying : " How is it that thou comest to me ? My 
baptism is the baptism of repentance unto the re- 
mission of sins. Meet, then, is it that publican 
and outcast, Sadducee and Pharisee, should come 
to me for baptism. But thou, O Jesus, hast no 
sin to repent of. How, then, canst thou ask me 
to baptize thee — thou so pure, me so sinful ? 
Oh, it is I that have need to be baptized by thee. 
And dost thou come unto me ? " But the Divine 
Man with serene majesty replies : " Suffer it 
now ; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all right- 
eousness." Deferring for a moment the full con- 
sideration of these profound words, let it be enough 



THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHEIST. 253 

that we meantime accept them as Christ's decla- 
ration of his readiness to submit to every pro- 
priety or moral comeliness. And having declared 
this, John can no longer refuse him. Indeed, 
further refusal would have been pride instead 
of humility. For this is pre-eminently a case in 
which, beyond any dispute, the less is to be Heb.vii,7. 
blessed by the Better. And so he baptizes him. 
O sacred Jordan, born of cedared Lebanon, as the 
Divine Man stands 

Breast-high in thee, not snow is half so white, Coles's "Evan- 

£Cl 111 Vi/lsr ' , 

Nor half so spotless is the unsullied light. 



He stoops to thee in all his heavenly charms : 
I see him sinking in thy jeweled arms, 
Lost one amazing moment to the sight, 
Then rising radiant dripping gems of light. 

And, lo, a twofold credential. As Jesus The Divine 
ascends to the shore, even while he is praying, the ^ 1 estation. 
heavens open, and baptizer as well as baptized see 
the skies parting, and the Holy Spirit of God de- 
scending upon the Son of man in a bodily form as 
a dove. It is the divine anointing, or Spirit's 
chrism, by which the man of Nazareth is visibly 
Christed as the Messiah of Jehovah. Henceforth 
the Jesus of earth is the Christ of heaven. Nor is 
this all. Lo, from the parted heavens peals a 
divine voice, saying : " Thou art my beloved Son ; 
in thee I am well pleased." It is the attesting 
plaudit of eternal God. Yes, the sacred, blessed, 
adorable, Divine Three are here : the attesting, 
exultant Father ; the baptized, Christed Son ; the 
22 



254 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Gloria Patri. descending, Christing Spirit. Glory be to the 
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost ; as 
it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

Such is the story of the baptism of Jesus 
Christ. 

Meaning of And here a question of rare and grave in- 

tism StS BaP " terest arises: Why was Jesus Christ baptized? 

Luke in, 3. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance unto 
remission of sins. But Jesus was sinless, and 
therefore could not repent. What, then, was 
the meaning of his baptism ? Why was he bap- 
tized? 

Various answers have been given. For exam- 
ple : It has been answered that Jesus submitted 
himself to John's baptism in order to give his 
sanction to John's ministry. But this can scarcely 
be ; for Jesus was at this time but an obscure 
Galilean, hardly known beyond the precincts of 
his own little Nazareth. Again, it has been 
answered that Jesus was baptized in order to be 

Heb. m, i. inducted into the priesthood, he being the high- 
priest as well as apostle of our confession. But 

Exod. xxix, r. the matter of fact is, that the ancient high-priest 
was inducted into his office by unction, not by 
baptism. Again, it has been answered that Jesus 
was baptized in order to be publicly inaugurated 
as the promised Messiah. But this was not the 
significance of baptism. A truer statement would 
be this: Jesus did not submit to baptism as an 
inaugurating ceremony, but his baptism furnished 
a suitable occasion for his inauguration ; and ac- 
cordingly, when he had been baptized and thus 









THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST. 255 

fulfilled all righteousness, the Spirit of God de- 
scended upon him, and the Father proclaimed him 
as his own beloved Son. These approving demon- 
strations of the godhead, not his baptism, were his 
inauguration. He was inaugurated as the Christ 
of Jehovah at his baptism, not by his baptism. 
Once more, it has been answered that Jesus was 
baptized in order to set before us an example, that 
we should follow his steps. Doubtless, there is 
something of truth in this view. For here, as 
everywhere else, the Divine Man was our per- 
fect example. And yet I can not believe that 
Jesus did this or that given thing merely for 
the sake of setting us an example. Such a 
view makes his character too artificial and the- 
atric. His was a solid life, and in every act of 
his there was, apart from any effect it might be 
intended to produce on others, an intrinsic, in- 
born meaning. 

And so the question recurs : Why was Jesus Baptized as 
Christ baptized ? And the true answer seems to Man. 
be this : Jesus Christ was baptized in order to 
identify himself with human nature, or rather to 
make it apparent that he was one with humanity. 
It is meet that man as fallen should confess his 
guilt and desire cleansing. Of this confession and 
desire, baptism is a natural symbol. This was the 
significance of John's baptism — it was a baptism 
of repentance. And Jesus was very man as well 
as very God. Born of a woman, bom under law, Gai. Lv, 4. 
that he might redeem those who were under the 
law, it behooved him in all things to be made like Het>. a, 17. 
unto his brethren, that he might become a merci- 



256 THE DIVINE MAN. 

ful and faithful high-priest in things pertaining 
to God. Accordingly, as born of a woman, and 
as under Jewish law, he had already been duly 
circumcised on the eighth day, and, when the puri- 
fication of his mother for childbirth had been 
completed, he had been brought into the temple 
and duly presented unto the Lord, with the accom- 
panying prescribed sacrifice of a pair of turtle- 
doves, or two young pigeons. And now, having 
reached maturity, and about to enter on his public 
career as the Christ of God and the Saviour of 
man, he would visibly set forth his fellowship with 
our humanity by taking the guise of its fallen con- 
dition. Not that he entered into the guilt of our 
fallen nature — perish the thought ! but he did en- 
ter into the consequences of that guilt. And so, 
sent forth by his Father in the likeness of sinful 
flesh, he also, like any other man, comes to the 
Jordan as to a laver of cleansing, even to John's 
baptism of repentance unto remission of sins. 
Not that he needs baptism any more than he had 
needed circumcision or presentation or passover. 
But he is in very truth our fellow-man, and as 
such enters into man's duties. And so he is 
baptized by John with the baptism of repent- 
ance. For thus it becometh even him to fulfill 
all righteousness. Not that this word " righteous- 
ness " is to be taken here in its later, technical, 
Pauline sense as meaning "justification"; but it 
is to be taken in its primary, general sense as 
meaning rightness, fitness, moral propriety. And 
it is right, even binding, that man should aspire 
to rise out of his fallen condition. And of this 






THE BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST. 257 

aspiration baptism is a natural emblem. What 
though baptism was not a Mosaic ordinance? Ab- 
lution is instinctively felt to be an emblem of 
moral cleansing. Listen to the Psalmist : 

I will wash mine hands in innocency ; Psalm xxvi, 6. 

So will I compass thine altar, O Jehovah ! 

Even heathen Pilate would pacify his conscience 

by washing his hands before the multitude, saying, Matt, xxvn, 24. 

: 'I am innocent of the blood of this righteous 

man." So the frightened murderer of King 

Duncan : 

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood "Macbeth," 

Clean from my hand ? No ; this my hand will rather Act "' Sc " " 
The multitudinous seas incarnadine, 
Making the green one red. 

The perfect soul of Jesus, then, needed no Mosaic 
or formal statute to make him feel that baptism 
was a duty. His exquisite instinct told him that 
it was a comely rite for a fallen, aspiring soul; 
and to his perfect nature comeliness was as im- 
perative as a formal edict. And so, by being bap- 
tized with the baptism of repentance, that is to 
say, the baptism of confession and amendment, he 
fulfilled all righteousness, all behests of moral 
propriety. 

This, then, was the significance of Christ's Baptized as 
baptism. He was baptized in order to show that sentatfriTof 
he would achieve his redeeming work by sharing Humanity. 
in the fortunes of our fallen and wrecked human- 
ity, entering sympathetically, and in a certain 
sense vicariously, into its miserable conditions and 



258 THE DIVINE MAN. ■ 

exposures. As the representative of humanity, 
begrimed with its pollution, he went down into 
the waters of the Jordan in the likeness of sinful 

Acts xsii, 16. flesh, symbolically washing away sins ; and he 
arose from those waters, so that mankind might 
rise in him a purified humanity. He was baptized 
as our fellow-man, our elder brother, the Son of 
man. And so the meaning of his baptism is pre- 
cisely the opposite of the meaning of our own 

Gai. ni, 2r. baptism. When we are baptized, we are baptized 
into Christ ; when Christ was baptized, he was 
baptized into us. And as in our baptism we put 
on Christ, so in his baptism Christ put on us. 
Christ's baptism was a symbolic investiture of 
himself with humanity. And therefore it became 
him, as the Son of man and representative of our 
race, to be baptized, that so he might fulfill all 
righteousness. Such was the primary meaning of 
Christ's baptism. 

Prophetic But with the flight of time that ancient bap- 

Christ's S Bap- t * sm ^ as taken on a richer meaning and glory, 
tism. To John the future of Jesus was largely unknown. 

To us that future has become a blessed past. We 
know the holy story of cross and empty sepulchre. 
Keeping these in view, and looking back upon 
that first baptismal scene, how prophetic it be- 
comes ! For so 
'ln_ Memori- the past will always win 

A glory from its being far, 
And orb into the perfect star 
We saw not when we moved therein. 

At the very threshold of his public career, when 
he was anointed for his redeeming work by the 



am, xxiv. 



THE- BAPTISM OF JESUS CHRIST. 259 

descending Spirit in a bodily form as a dove, he 
foreshadowed — whether intentionally or uninten- 
tionally, it matters not — his own vocation and des- 
tiny. The foundations of St. Paul's Creed, to wit, 
" Christ died for our sins, and was buried and rose 1 cor. xv, 1-1 
on the third day," were symbolically laid when 
the Divine Man sank beneath the ripples of Jor- 
dan and rose again. As our baptism is historic, 
commemoratiug a slain and risen Saviour, so our 
Saviour's baptism was prophetic, foretelling his 
own burial and resurrection. And so in his very 
baptism Jesus Christ himself is the first-fruits, the 
pledge sheaf, of the harvest of the church of the 1 cor. xv, 20. 
resurrection. How eloquent, then, that ancient 
act ! How it teems with preludes of Calvary and 
sepulchre and Olivet ! How it transfigures that 
ancient baptism of repentance unto remission of 
sins into the baptism of redemption — that pre- 
resurrection baptism of prophecy into the post- 
resurrection baptism of fulfillment. What new, 
vast, august meaning it puts into those meek 
words : " Suffer it now ; for thus it becometh us 
to fulfill all righteousness." 

And now let me close with a personal appeal. A Personal 
If Jesus Christ, the sinless, was not ashamed to Q ucstl0n - 
take on himself your polluted humanity and sym- 
bolically wash away your filth in the laver of the 
Jordan, will you, the sinful, be ashamed to take on 
the shining character of Jesus Christ, and walls: 
in his blessed steps % If Jesus Christ, the sinless 
One, submitted himself for your sake to a baptism 
of repentance unto remission of sins, will you, re- 
deemed by his blood, refuse to submit yourself for 



260 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



his sake as well as for your own to a baptism of 
resurrection and immortal life ? 



Collect. Grant, O Lord, that as we are baptized into the death 

of thy blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, so by continual 
mortifying our corrupt affections we may be buried with 
him ; and that through the grave, and gate of death, we may 
pass to our joyful resurrection ; for his merits, who died, 
and was buried, and rose again for us, thy Son Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 






THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS 
CHRIST. 

Matthew iv, 1-11 ; Mark i, 12, 13 ; Luke iv, 1-13. 

I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and 
between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head, 
and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

Genesis iii, 15. 



XXI. 

THE TEMPTATION" OF JESUS CHKIST. 

Matthew iv, 1-11 ; Mark i, 12, 13; Luke iv, 1-13. 

"Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the Eeality of the 
wilderness to he tempted of the devil." Such are emptation. 
the words with which the first evangelist intro- 
duces his account of the temptation of Jesus 
Christ. 

An incredible statement, surely ! For was not 
Jesus Christ absolutely holy, and, therefore, abso- 
lutely beyond the reach of temptation ? More- 
over, was he not Divine; and can Divinity be 
tempted ? Such are some of the difficulties which 
press upon us when we read the story of the temp- 
tation. And so we come to think of Jesus as a 
kind of phantom Christ, tempted only in appear- 
ance. 

Nevertheless, we must believe the story. For, 
first, it is made possible by the fact that Jesus was 
a man, and therefore finite ; and temptation is in- 
separable from finiteness. The very fact that 
there are limits is also the fact which permits and 
invites transgression of those limits. Where there Rom. iv, is. 
is no law, there is no transgression. The very fact 
of finiteship involves all possibilities of evil. This 



264 THE DIVINE MAN. 

is the reason why God can not be tempted : being 
infinite, occupying all space and all time, there are 
no limits for him to transcend. JNTot so was it 
with his incarnate Son. Jesus Christ was a veri- 
table man, and, as such, finite, and therefore open 
to temptation. Moreover, although he was con- 
ceived by the Holy Ghost, and therefore Divinely 
generated, yet he was also born of sinful woman, 
and therefore inherited human nature under dis- 
abled conditions ; so that, like any one of us, he 
was accessible to temptation. So far, then, from 
its having been impossible that he should be tempt- 
ed, we must believe that he was tempted, even 
though no scripture had asserted it. And script- 
ure does most expressly assert it. Nothing can 
be more explicit than the language of the evan- 
gelists in narrating the story of the temptation. 
If we doubt here, we may doubt anywhere, even 
in the matter of the incarnation itself. 

Temptation Yet in all this was no sin. For we must dis- 

tinguish between temptation as assault and temp- 
tation as conquest. There is no sin in the mere 

Gen. in, i-o. fact of being tempted. Eve was not to blame for 
the presence of Satan in Eden ; nor was she to 
blame for the fact that the forbidden tree seemed 
desirable : her blame began when, instead of in- 
stantly repelling the tempter, she began to dally 
with him, and allow herself to look with longing 
on the tree. Jesus was not to blame for the pres- 

Matt. iv, 1-4. ence of Satan in the wildnerness ; nor for the fact 
that there was force in Satan's suggestion that he 
should satisfy his hunger by using his miraculous 
power to turn stones into bread. Had he allowed 



not necessa- 
rily Sinful. 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 



265 



himself to cherish for one fleeting instant Satan's 
suggestion, then temptation would have swept into 
sin. But there was no sin in the mere fact of his 
having been tempted. 

'Tis one thing to be tempted, Escalus, 
Another thing to fall. 



■'Measure for 
Measure" ii, 1. 



Reasons of the 
Temptation. 



And the very fact that he was really tempted in iieb. iv, is. 
all points like as we are, yet without sin, is the 
fact which gives to the story of his temptation 
and victory its glorious power and exhaustless 
cheer. 

But why was Jesus Christ tempted ? Sinless, 
why should he be exposed to such fierce assault 'I 
Remembering who he was, and why he came into 
the world, we might have supposed that, if ever 
man would be spared temptation, that man would 
be the Christ of God. Why, then, was Jesus led 
up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 
by the devil % 

Jesus was tempted, first, for his own sake. He Tempted for 
was a man ; and therefore, like every other man, 
he had a character to build. And temptation is 
essential to character-building. Temptation not 
only assays the quality of the soul ; temptation also 
tempers it, bringing it by the stress of ordeal into 
the needed robustness — unfolding it, fortifying it, 
perfecting it. No man knows what is in him — 
how weak he is or how strong — until he is tried. 
And the trial, if he endures the test, not only re- 
veals him, it also girds him. Temptation itself 
when vanquished becomes a buttress. To be 
tempted continually, and to conquer continually — 
23 



His 

Sake. 



266 THE DIVINE MAN. 

this is to attain, as final and blessed issue, to the 
impossibility of being tempted : temptation ceas- 
ing for evermore to be temptation — the heata ne- 
cessitous boni of Augustine. And so it is that 
temptation perfects the character. And Jesus was 
a man, and therefore needed the same perfecting. 
What though the acorn may be perfect as an 
acorn % It needs to be perfected into the giant 
oak. Even so was it with the Son of man : born 
into the world a perfect infant, he needed to soar 
from the world a perfected man. Well then 
might the Spirit drive him into the wilderness to 
be tempted by the devil. Let him go up into that 
dreary wild that there he may grapple with the 
lost archangel ; for it is by the throes of that awful 
conflict that he shall be prepared for Gethsemane 
and Calvary, for Olivet and heaven. 

Tempted for Again, Jesus was tempted for man's sake. His 
Man's Sake. own temptation helps him to understand ours. 
For there is no sympathy like that which springs 
from the sense of fellow-experience — no compas- 
sion so real as that which is born of co-passion. 
And the Divine Man has passed through all hu- 
man experience from cradle to grave. And there- 
fore he knows how to sympathize with us, and 

Heb. iv, is, 16. how to help us. For we have not a high-priest 
who can not be touched with the feeling of our 
infirmities ; but we have one who hath been in all 
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the 
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and 

Heb. if, is. may find grace to help us in time of need ; for 
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 267 

is able to succor them that are tempted. Glorious 
day, then, it was for humanity when the Spirit 
drove Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by 
the devil ; for in that deadly encounter he single- 
handed fought for humanity as well as for him- 
self, and, conquering, shows humanity how to 
conquer. 

And now let us glance at some of the circum- 
stances of the temptation of Jesus Christ. 

And, first, in respect to the time of the temp- Time of the 
tation. It was at the threshold of Christ's public Tem P tation - 
ministry, immediately after his baptism. From 
the Jordan, where he had seen the heavens part- Mark i, 9-11. 
ing, and the Spirit of God descending upon him- 
self in a bodily form as a dove, and had heard the 
voice out of heaven, saying, " This is my beloved 
Son, in whom I am well pleased ! " he, while yet 
full of the Holy Spirit, was straightway driven by 
that same Spirit forth into the wilderness to be 
tempted by the devil. It is a picture of the Chris- 
tian life — God's own appointed life of sunshine 
and cloud, mountain and valley ; from Hephzi-bah isaiah ixn, 4. 
to Azumah, from Beulah to Shammah ; from the 
third heaven of paradise to the thorn in the flesh, 2 cor. xii, 1-7. 
even Satan's buffeting messenger. And, observe, 
it was the Spirit who took Jesus from Heaven's 
plaudit to Satan's onset : " And straightway the Mark i, 12. 
Spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness." 

And here an interesting question arises : When Was Jesus 
Jesus thus went up from Jordan to the desert, was the^Comin* 
he aware of the Spirit's purpose? Did he know Temptation? 
that he was going up in order to be tempted ? 
Did he go because he consciously felt the Spirit's 



268 THE DIVINE MAN. 

impulse, or did lie go spontaneously ? It is a diffi- 
cult and sacred question, not to be answered sud- 
denly or irreversibly. All that any of us can do 
is to give bis personal opinion. My own impres- 
sion is that Jesus went up spontaneously, in an- 
swer to the resistless promptings of his own heart. 
A perfect babe and child and youth, he had 
grown up, under God's good providence and 
watch care and guidance, into full manhood. 
Year by year, as the babe had unfolded into the 
child, and the child into the youth, and the youth 
into the man, he had caught clearer and clearer 
glimpses of the mighty enterprise which aw 7 aited 
him. And now arrived at manhood, fresh from 
baptism and divine credential of opened heavens 
and dove and voice, he feels that he is on the 
threshold of the work which his Father had given 
him to do. He suddenly awakes to the full sense 
of his Messiahship. And what a tremendous Mes- 
siahship it is ! How terrific in its drain on every 
energy of body, and mind, and heart ! How fierce 
in its woe ! Verily, he feels the need of a special 
equipment and fortification. And so, in answer to 
the cravings of his own heart, he goes up into the 
wilderness, that in its solemn stillness and seclu- 
sion he may, by meditation and prayer, gird him- 
self for his unparalleled mission. Nevertheless, it 
was the Spirit who drove him thither, and drove 
him for the very purpose of having him tempted. 
It was a striking instance of the daily problem of 
Divine sovereignty and human freedom. Jesus 
went up into the wilderness spontaneously, in order 
to have opportunity for meditation and prayer : 






THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 269 

the Spirit drove Mm thither, in order to have him 
tempted. Led by the Spirit to be tempted by the 
devil. Is it not possible that our blessed Lord had 
this painful scene of his life in mind when he 
afterward bade his disciples pray, " Our Father Matt, vi, 9-13. 
who art in heaven, lead us not into temptation " ? 

Respecting the place of the temptation but Place of the 
little can be said. The traditional site is the deso- Tem P tation - 
late mountain behind Jericho, called, from the 
forty days' temptation, Quarantania. It is a 
lofty height of limestone, rising precipitously, 
pierced in numerous places with caves which for 
centuries have been tenanted by hermits. Bnt al- 
though tradition points out Quarantania as the 
site of the temptation, I am inclined to look for 
that sacred locality in the wilderness of Sinai. 
There is nothing in the Gospel records to forbid 
such a supposition. On the other hand, such a 
supposition has the advantage of a sacred pro- 
priety. Here, amid these frowning crags and 
awful wilds, 

Where all around, on mountain, sand, and sky, John Kebie. 

God's chariot's wheels have left distinctest trace, 

Moses had fasted forty days and nights ; here, in Ex. xxxiv, 28. 
one of its caves, Elijah had dwelt as an exile ; 1 Kings xix, 9. 
here, Paul, when it had pleased God to reveal his Gai. i, 15-17. 
Son in him, spent three years in preparing for his 
majestic calling ; and here, as we are permitted to 
believe, One greater than lawgiver and prophet 
and apostle betook himself that, amid the memor- 
ies of the mount of smoke and thunder and law 
and judgment, he might equip himself for the 



270 THE DIVINE MAN. 

mighty task of taking on his own head Sinai's 
burden and doom. But, although it is pleasing to 
think this, let us not insist on it as a certainty. 
All we know is that Jesus was in the wilderness- 
forty days and nights, tempted by Satan ; and he 

Mark i, 13. was with the wild beasts. 

Manner of the And now let me say a few words about the 
cmp a ion. mauner f ^] ie temptation. I do not now refer to 
the closing scenes when the devil put forth his 
utmost force, but to the preceding forty days. 
During this long period of nearly six weeks the 
devil was doubtless ceaselessly tempting him. But 
how did he tempt him ? In what way did he ap- 
proach him ? Did he appear in bodily figure, so 
that Jesus was conscious of his personal presence \ 
Or did he content himself with presenting sug- 
gestions which might seem to have risen in the 
JNazarene's own mind ? Here again we must speak 
with reverent caution. My own impression is that 
Satan tempted Jesus during these forty days in the 
same way that he tempts us. We have never seen 
his figure or heard his voice or felt his touch. Yet 
his temptation has been quite as real as though we 
had seen him face to face. As it is not needful 
that the Holy Spirit should approach us body- 
wise in order to help us, so it is not needful that 
the devil should approach us body- wise in order to 
harm us. In fact, his temptation is all the more 
effective because so insidious, seeming to rise out of 
our own minds, as though a part of our own selves. 
Bunyan, who knew, so well the windings of the 
human heart, has admirably illustrated this when 
he represents his Pilgrim, while walking through 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 271 

the Valley of the Shadow of Death, as horrified 
by what seemed to him to be his own blasphemies : 

Just as he was come over against the mouth of the " Pilgrim's 
burning pit, one of the wicked ones got behind him, and i0 S res 
stepped up softly to him, and whisperingly suggested many 
grievous blasphemies to him, which he verily thought had 
proceeded from his own mind. This put poor Christian 
more to it than anything that he had met with before, even 
to think that he should now blaspheme him that he loved 
so much before. Yet, if he could have helped it. he would 
not have done it ; but he had not the discretion either to 
stop his ears, or to know from whence these blasphemies 
came. 

Perhaps it was iu some such way as this that Satan 
tempted Jesus. Not that the Saviour was, like 
poor Pilgrim, ignorant of the source of the tempta- 
tion. Nevertheless, I am inclined to believe that 
Satan approached him, as it were, unnoticed, deftly 
raising suggestions which were so natural and ac- 
cordant with the usual workings of the mind as to 
seem spontaneous. But let us not speculate too 
much. Enough that we know most surely this : 
Satan did really tempt Jesus. 

We have seen that Jesus was tempted through- The Tempta- 
out the forty days. What the particular tempta- £ s . CliinB0 " 
tion or temptations were we know not : the only 
person who could have ever told us long ago as- 
cended. It seems clear, however, that the long- 
continued temptation was climacteric — the tempta- 
tion of the forty days culminating in the threefold 
assault of the wilderness, the pinnacle, and the 
mountain. To these three special, culminating 
temptations let us now attend. 



Matt, iv, 2-4. 
Luke iv, 2-4. 



tion of Je- 



272 THE DIVINE MAN. 

The Tempta- And, first, the Temptation of the Wilderness : 

wndcrness 5 " ^ e c ^ eai no ^ n 9 ^ n those ^ a V s i an ^ when he 
had fasted forty days and forty nights, he after- 
icard hungered. And the tempter came and said 
unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command 
that these stones become bread. But Jesus an- 
swered unto him, It is written, Man shall not live- 
by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth 
out of the mouth of God." 
Bodily Condi- To understand the force of this temptation we 
must first take special note of the bodily condition 
of Jesus at this precise juncture. During the forty 
days and nights he had eaten nothing. Whether 
this statement is to be taken in absolute literalness 
or only in way of general assertion it matters not. 
Enough that we know that he had fasted forty 
days. And this fasting does not seem to have been 
either rubrical or voluntary. Recall as clearly as 
may be his circumstances. He is at last on the 
threshold of his mighty mission. His Messiahship 
— so stupendous in its bearings, so tremendous in 
its cost — is looming up before him. He has re- 
tired into the wilderness that he may find in its 
still solitude opportunity for equipping meditation 
and prayer. And so earnest is he in his preparation 
that his very appetite fails him — in those days he 
did eat nothing. Alas ! we know too well the pow- 
er of body over mind. Few situations there are 
where man has less self-control than when he is 
famished. In such an awful crisis the very fount- 
ains of natural affection are sometimes dried up ; 
so that even mothers, crazed by their agony, have 
devoured their own children. We can well un- 



. TEE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CUEIST. 273 

der-stand then that when a man is reduced to the 
point of starvation, and sees food within his reach, 
little will he care what laws of man or of God he 
breaks in clutching it and devouring it. And Jesus 
was in this crisis of starvation. Nearly a month and 
a half he had been fasting. Day by day the fetters 
of hunger had been closing tighter and tighter 
around him, paralyzing every energy of body and 
sonl. Could we have seen him as some day he 
totteringly paced in the desolate wild or leaned 
against some limestone crag, I doubt not we should 
have seen a wan, wasted, ghastly figure. But 
Nature at last asserts her supremacy : ■ when he 
had fasted forty days and forty nights, he after- 
ward hungered. And now is the precise time for 
the terrible assault. The tempter came and said to 
him, " If thou art the Son of God, command that 
these stones become loaves." 

What .was the manner of this temptation? Manner of this 
Did Satan approach Jesus in visible form as mani- 
fest Satan ? Or did he appear as some holy her- 
mit — some passing wayfarer ? Or was he present 
only spirit-wise, suggesting his temptation, but 
suggesting it so artfully that it seemed to rise, as 
it were, spontaneously in the Saviour's own mind ? 
We know not. Nor is it important that we should. 
The essential point for us to believe is that Satan 
did really tempt Jesus to turn stones into loaves. 
My own impression is that Satan came to him in a 
guise hardly distinguishable from his own mental 
operations ; or, if he appeared in bodily guise at 
all, it was in the guise of a friendly stranger. 
Perhaps the temptation was somewhat after the 



Temptation. 



274 THE DIVINE MAN. 

following manner : Jesus is in the wilderness, ex- 
hausted and well-nigh dead with hunger. A stran- 
ger, apparently a chance traveler, approaches him, 
and says, in kindest way : " I am sure I know 
thee ; I was present at thy baptism ; I have heard 
of the descending dove. and the applauding voice; 
I believe that thou art the long-promised Messiah. 
But I see that thou art weak, and faint, and dying 
with hunger. Surely thou art fasting needlessly : 
thou art the Son of God, and all things are in thy 
power ; thou hast a mighty mission to fulfill— how 
canst thou save others unless thou savest thyself ? 
Yet thou art perishing v/ith starvation ! And this 
although the means of relief are within thy reach. 
See these stones : thou hast only to speak, to wish, 
and they shall minister to thee. If thou art the 
Son of God, why dost thou not command that 
these stones become loaves \ " Perhaps it was in 
some such way as this that Satan tempted Jesus in 
the wilderness. Whatever was insidious in sug- 
gestion, profound in dissimulation, plausible in 
reasoning, perplexing in casuistry, capable of cast- 
ing a shadow, however flitting, on the chaste, 
white spirit of Jesus — all this was brought with 
satanic subtlety and might to bear against him ; 
and this, too, at the moment of his extremest 
weakness — at the very ebb of his human nature. 
Sinfulness of . But why would the yielding to this temptation 
*!!! Sugses " have been a sin ? Surely the mere act of miracu- 
lously turning stones into loaves, when one has the 
power to do it, is no wrong in itself. Neverthe- 
less, it would have been wrong for Jesus to have 
done it. For, consider the circumstances in which 



tion. 



Luke iv, 4. 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHEIST. 275 

he was placed. He had undertaken to save man 
by becoming himself a man — to save humanity in, 
and through, and by his own human nature. Since 1 cor. xv, 21. 
by man had come death, by man also must come 
resurrection. Divinity although he was, he was to 
conquer in the sphere of his own humanity. And 
Satan tempted him to fall back upon his Godhoocl. 
It was as though he had said : " Act as the Son of 
God ; put forth thy divine power ; substitute mir- 
acle for trust in the Father's providence : thon art 
the Son of God, therefore turn these stones into 
loaves." But Satan laid siege in vain. 

And so we pass to consider the repulse : Jesus The Repulse, 
answered unto him, " It is written, Man shall not Matt, iv, 4. 
live by bread alone, but by every w T ord that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of God." The citation 
is from the book of Deuteronomy, the eighth chap- 
ter, the third verse. The forty years' wanderings Deut. 
are ended, and Israel is about to enter the prom- 
ised land. In that land of exuberant fertility — 
that land of brooks and springs, of wheat and 
vines, and milk and honey, that land whose stones 
are iron and in whose hills is brass — Israel would 
be tempted to pride, and forgetfulness of God, 
and atheistic trust in the resources of Nature. 
And therefore Moses urges upon his people the 
remembrance that Jehovah, in feeding them, is 
not limited to one line of action — to wheat, or 
corn, or barley ; that it is not Nature which nour- 
ishes man, but God through Nature : " Thon shalt 
remember all the way which Jehovah thy God 
hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, 
that he might humble thee and prove thee, suffer- 



276 THE DIVINE MAN. 

ing thee to hunger, and feeding thee with manna, 
that he might make thee know that man doth not 
live by bread only, but by everything that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man 
live." And in quoting this ancient passage, Jesus 
virtually says : " Let me not dictate to my Father 
how he shall feed me ; he can nourish me with 
other things than bread. I will trust his love 
rather than my power." Thus Jesus opposed 
God's fatherhood to man's cleverness. And it 
was on this principle that he always acted. Even 
Matt, xxvii, 39- when on the cross, and in face of the bitterest in- 

43. . 

sinuations touching his ability to save himself, he 
refused to exercise his power of self-rescue. He 
who turned water into wine to gladden others 
would not turn stones into loaves to save himself. 
And so, by simply trusting God's fatherhood, Jesus 
conquered Satan. And, observe, in thus conquer- 
ing, he conquered as man. He might have con- 
tented himself with the majestic assertion, " I am 
the Son of God." This, in fact, was the tempta- 
tion with which Satan sought to seduce him ; he 
sought to persuade him to save his manhood by 
using his Godhood. But he sought in vain. Jesus 
still keeps himself in the category of man. Eefus- 
ing to rise out of the human plane, he contents 
himself with saying, as becomes every other man 
similarly placed : " It is written, Man shall not 
live on bread alone, but on every word that proceed- 
eth from God's mouth." As it was as man that he 
was tempted, so it was that as man he conquered. 
The Two Ad- Behold, then, the second Adam in the wilder- 
ams. ness> What a contrast his environment to that of 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 277 

the first Adam ! Dwell for a moment on the 
startling antithesis. On the one hand, a paradisal GeD.ii, s-17. 
garden which the Creator himself had planted, 
and in which he made to grow every tree that is 
pleasant to the sight and good for food ; on the 
other hand, a dreary wilderness. On the one 
hand, Jehovah God walking in the garden in the Gen. m, 8. 
cool of the day ; on the other hand, Jesus alone, Mark i, 13. 
with the wild beasts. On the one hand, luxury, 
with free access to every tree in the garden, except 
one ; on the other hand, starvation. On the one 
hand, a clear, emphatic, dreadfully unmistakable 
prohibition ; on the other hand, the doubt which 
casuistry might pardonably raise in the realm of 
an indefinite liberty. On the one hand, an un- 
fallen man, fresh and pure as the morning dawn ; 
on the other hand, also an unfallen Man, but still 
the Son of a sinful woman and a sinful humanity, 
laden with the dread entail of fallen, disabled con- 
ditions. On the one hand, a single and it may 
be momentary temptation ; on the other hand, 
temptation on temptation for more than forty days. 
In brief, on the one hand, a condition of things 
where everything was helping to continued erect- 
ness ; on the other hand, a condition of things 
where everything was helping to fall. Yet, on 
the one hand, defeat ; on the other hand, conquest. 
On the one hand, through the first man, eternal Rom. v, 12-21. 
death ; on the other hand, through the second 
Man, eternal life. 

And now pass to the second temptation : The Tempta- 
"Then the devil taketh him into Jerusalem, and p"n na c i e 
he set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and saith Matt, iv, 5-7. 
24 



278 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Luke iv, 9-i2. unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thi/sef 
down from hence, for it is written — 

Psalm xci, 11,12. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard 
thee ; 
And on their hands shall they dear thee up, 
■ Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

And Jesus answering said unto him, Again it is 
Deut. vi, i6. written, " Thou shalt not tempt the Loixl thy God" 
Satan's Enor- " Then the devil taketh him into Jerusalem, 
mous et - an( .| se tteth him on the pinnacle of the temple." 
In thus yielding for the moment to Satan's guid- 
ance, did Jesus sin ? We must remember then 
that Satan's control over circumstances is immense. 
Although he is leashed, his tether is of enormous 
length. And his preliminaries are often in the re- 
gion of what is innocent. He is willing to lead us 
along a thousand right steps for the sake of lead- 
ing us at last to take a single wrong step. For ex- 
ample : he tempts us to embark in what seems a 
legitimate enterprise ; but only with the view of 
involving us in disaster, and so finally tempting us 
into dishonesty. This is what makes life so seri- 
ous a thing. "We know not whither our steps are 
leading. What seems right to-day may be seen 
to be wrong to-morrow. 

Prov. xiv, 12. There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, 

But the end thereof are the ways of death. 

Knowing then that our Father does sometimes 
expose us in a special way to Satan's power, even 
as he exposed his own beloved Son, how needful 
that we hourly pray : Father, lead us not into 
temptation ! But, although we do not always know 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 279 

whither our steps are tending, let us not give way 
to vacillation or despair. Our accountability and 
blame begin, not when Satan leads us to Jeru- 
salem's pinnacle, but when we awake to the 
consciousness that it is Satan who is leading us 
thither. 

And now let us note the temptation ' itself. Manner of the 
Jesus has come up from the victory of the wilder- Temptation, 
ness doubtless buoyant, strong, ecstatic. His first 
impulse is to betake himself to the temple. Hav- 
ing joined in the devotions of his Father's house, 
he ascends the pinnacle that he may gaze on that 
spectacle most dear to the pious Jew — the city of 
Gocl. Standing on the lofty pinnacle, perhaps he 
is seized wath that strange impulse which has often 
seized some of us when similarly placed, to leap 
headlong from the dizzying height. Thus Edgar 
on Dover Cliff: 

How fearful "King Lear," 

att i,-j -i i i Act iv, Sc. 6. 

And dizzy 'tis to cast one s eyes so low ! 

I'll look no more, 
Lest my brain turn and the deficient sight 
Topple down headlong. 

~No sooner does Jesus feel the impulse than he 
seems to hear a friendly voice : " Be not afraid 
to take the leap ; for thou art God's Messiah and 
Son ; he will not allow any harm to befall thee ; 
the wings of his angels shall bear thee floating in 
the air ; and what a sublime inauguration this of 
thy great mission — what a dazzling proof of thy 
Messiahship in the eyes of yonder surging throng ! 
If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down : for 



280 



THE DIVINE MAN. 



Meaning of the 
Temptation. 



Beware of Sa- 
tan's Expo- 
sitions. 



.Merchant of 
Venice," Act 
i, Scene 3. 



'Richard III, 

Act i, Scene I 



Psalm sci, 11,12. 



lie hath promised to give his angels charge con- 
cerning thee." 

We see at once the meaning of this temptation : 
Satan tempted Jesus to presume on God's father- 
hood. Having been foiled in his endeavor in the 
wilderness to tempt him into under-trust, he now 
endeavors on the pinnacle to tempt him into over- 
trust. And he has been pursuing the same policy 
ever since, swinging us between extremes: first, 
plunging us into the valley, next tossing us on the 
mountains ; first emptying, then inflating. From 
distrust to presumption — this is his master policy. 
Let us not be ignorant of his devices. 

And observe in this connection how piously 
the devil himself can talk, quoting Scripture, 
when it suits his purpose, as deftly as any theolo- 
gian. So Antonio : 

The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. 
An evil soul, producing holy witness, 
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek ; 
A goodly apple rotten at the heart : 
Oh, what a goodly outside falsehood hath ! 

So King Richard himself : 

But then I sigh, and, with a piece of Scripture, 
Tell them that God bids us do good for evil : 
And thus I clothe my naked villainy 
With odd old ends, stol'n forth of holy writ, 
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil. 

See how dexterously Satan quotes from that 
psalm of trust, the ninety-first : 

He shall give his angels charge over thee, 
To keep thee in all thy ways: 
They shall hear thee up in their hands, 
■Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 



TIIE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 281 

Surely, this is something very devout and beau- 
tiful. But, after all, the devil is not a trusty 
expositor. Something more is needed than an 
exact quotation ; it is a right application. There 
is such a thing as the wresting Scripture unto 2 Peter m, ic. 
our own destruction : and this we do, and we 
have the devil's help in doing it, when we mis- 
apply Scriptural texts, no matter how exactly 
quoted, using the "Word of God as an excuse for 
our sin, or as an indorsement of what seems to us 
questionable. 

And now let us note what effect this tempta- The Repulse, 
tion of the pinnacle had on the JNazarene. Jesus Matt. iv, r. 
answering said unto him : " Again it is written, Luke 1V ' 13 ' 
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." As the 
adversary had just quoted from Scripture, though 
falsely, so now his antagonist quotes from Script- 
ure, but rightly. And he cites again from the 
book of Deuteronomy, the sixth chapter, the six- 
teenth verse : " Ye shall not tempt Jehovah your Deut. vi, 16. 
God." It was as though the Son of man had 
said : " I may trust my Father, but I must not ex- 
periment with him ; I may rely on his goodness, 
but I must not presume on it. To look to him 
for help when walking in the ways of his appoint- 
ment is to trust him, even as he has bidden me ; 
but to look to him for help when walking in ways 
of my own choosing is to tempt him ; and he him- 
self has caused it to be written, Thou shalt not 
tempt the Lord thy God." And thus, to cite 
words of the very psalm from which the tempt- 
er has just quoted, Jesus, while yet on the pin- 
nacle, 



282 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Psalm xci, 13. Treadeth upon the lion and adder; 

The young lion and the serpent he trampleth under 
feet. 

And as then in the wilderness, so now on the pin- 
nacle, he conquered in the sphere of humanity. 
Tempted as man, he still keeps himself in the 
human plane, putting himself in the same cate- 
gory with ancient Israel, to whom Jehovah, speak- 
ing through the mouth of his servant Moses, had 
said : " Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God." 

The Tempta- One more temptation there was, and to that 
Mountain. ° ^ us now * urn our thoughts i "Again, the devil 

Matt, iv, 8-10. takeih him unto an exceeding high mountain, and 

Luke iv, 5-8. sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and 
the glory of them in a moment of time ; and he 
said unto him, To thee will I give all these things 
and all this authority, and the glory of them, if 
thou wilt fall down and worship me ; for it hath 
teen delivered unto me ; and to whomsoever I 
will I give it y if thou therefore wilt worship be- 
fore me, it shall all he thine. Then Jesus an- 
swered and said unto him, Get thee hence, Satan : 
for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
God, and him only shalt thou serve." 

The Majestic " The devil leadeth him up an exceeding high 
anorama. ir , oim tam, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of 
the world and the glory of them in a moment of 
time." Manifestly, this is not to be taken literal- 
ly ; for there is no mountain on earth high enough 
to give such a view, nor indeed can there be so 
long as this earth is round. Evidently the vision 
was a spiritual one. Who of us has not at times 
fallen into fits of abstraction or pensiveness, when 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 283 

imagination, set free from self-consciousness, takes 
" the prisoned sonl and laps it in Elysium " 'I And 
when we fall into one of these reveries, what 
amazing exploits imagination achieves ! How she 
sweeps through the universe as though space and 
time were annihilated ! What visions of splendor 
and power sweep before her as in an instant of 
time ! Ah, here is one of Satan's strong points. 
There is no finer test of a man's character than 
the use he allows himself of this wonderful gift 
of imagination, No faculty answers more sensi- 
tively or completely to the soul's real instincts 
and tendencies. "Whatever the soul loves and 
wants, this imagination keeps constantly arrayed 
before her vision. Hence it is that imagination is 
Satan's favorite agent and organ. Capable of the 
most angelic ministries, she is also capable of the 
most diabolic. Thus Satan tempted Jesus to use 
it on the exceeding high mountain. For Jesus, 
like each of us, was a veritable man, and as such 
gifted with imagination. And as he was abso- 
lutely sinless, his imagination must have been un- 
rivaled and transcendent. Picture then the scene. 
He has come from the victory of the pinnacle 
doubtless in a rapturous state, and feels drawn to 
some exceeding high mountain. Perhaps it is 
Nebo, from which Moses had been allowed his 
only glimpse of the promised land ; perhaps it is 
Hermon, on one of the spurs of which this same 
Jesus is yet to be transfigured. Many of us know 
from personal experience the exhilarating effects 
of mountain air and views. And if ever there 
was a man who was especially open to Nature's 



284 THE DIVINE MAN. 

influences, that man irrast have been the spotless 
Son of Mary. Behold him, then, seated on some 
commanding cliff. As he prolongs his innocent, 
poetic gaze, he falls, as yon and I have often fallen, 
into reverie. Now is the golden moment for the 

Eph. ii, 2. prince of the powers of the air. Seizing his magic 

wand, the arch-tempter conjures up his airy crea- 
tions, and causes to pass in lightning succession 
before the eyes of the Galilean mechanic all the 
kingdoms of the world and all the glory of them. 

psaim xiviii, 2. There, for example, is Jerusalem, beautiful in ele- 
vation, the joy of the whole earth, the city of the 
great King. And there is Egypt, with her Alex- 
andria and her Memphis and her Thebes. And 
there is Syria, with her Damascus and her Baal- 
bek and her Palmyra. And there is India, with 
her spices and her silks and her gems. And there 
is Greece, with her Athens and all her immortal 
memories. And there is Rome — Csesarean Rome 
— with her scepterclom over a hundred kings. 
There, also, is all the world's glory — all that it has 
of power and pomp and witchery, all that can set 
the senses aglow and make the eyes dilate and the 
heart beat fast. There are all the kingdoms of 
the world and the glory of them — past, present, 
future — all suddenly circling and dipping before 
the eye of the Carpenter of Nazareth. And yet 
in all this glimpsing was no sin. 

The Tempta- And so we pass to Satan's temptation itself : 
" To thee will I give all this authority, and the 
glory of them, for it hath been delivered unto 
me ; and to whomsoever I will I give it ; if thou 
therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be 



tion itself. 
Luke iv, 6 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 285 

thine." Several things here demand our serious 
attention. 

And, first, Satan's tremendous claim : " Unto Satan's Tre- 
me all this hath been delivered, and to whomso- ofi" 18 
ever I will I give it." It is the blending of a 
tremendous truth and a tremendous lie. 

" To me all this hath been delivered." Prince John xii, 31. 
of this world, God of this world — these are no 2 cor. iv, 4. 
mere figures of speech. For what is there worldly 
— that is, characteristically worldly and belonging 
to it — on which Satan has not stamped his seal ? 
Is it money ? But Satan uses money to tempt men 
to discontent and avarice and fraud and pride and 
hardness of heart. Is it ambition? But Satan 
uses ambition to tempt men to ignoble tricks of 
political scheming and colossal inundations of in- 
nocent blood. Is it the bodily senses ? But Satan 
uses the eye to paint pictures of wanton fascina- 
tion, the ear to listen to calumnies of scandal, the 
tongue to speak oily words of deceit, the taste to 
crave the maddening viands of revelry. Is it sci- 
ence ? But Satan uses science to falsify the oracles 
of the Holy Ghost, to eject the Creator from his 
own universe, and to send man down to his grave 
paupered of immortality. Is it literature? But 
Satan uses literature to enshrine in stately prose 
or gorgeous verse the falsehoods of tradition, the 
sneers of infidelity, the triumphs of vice, the whirl- 
winds of passion. Is it art ? But Satan uses art 
to rear towers of Babel, to paint frescos of Pom- 
peii, to warble dithyrambs of seraglios. Is it the 
instinct of worship ? But Satan uses this instinct 
to invent 



' Paradise 
Lost." 



286 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Gay religions, full of pomp and gold, 
And devils to adore for deities. 

And thus everything that is worldly, however in- 
nocent in itself, whether riches or honors or pleas- 
ures or talents or sensibilities or imagination, 

"LaliaRookh." The trail of the serpent is over them all. 

" Unto me hath all this been delivered." And 
so it comes to pass that, Diabolus being the prince 
of this world, worldliness is diabolism. 

"And to whomsoever Twill I give it" For 
infernal gifts there are as well as celestial. Those 
were not altogether superstitious fancies when in 
mediaeval times legends were told of men who had 
sold themselves to the devil. Faust is not the only 
wretch who has made a pact with Mephistopheles. 
Such pacts and sales are taking place everywhere 
and every day. "Unto me all this hath been 
delivered, and to whomsoever I will I give it." 

But while the devil thus uttered a tremendous 
truth, he at the same time uttered a tremendous 
lie. After all, what the devil owns of this world 
is only the surface ; and even his ownership of 
this is only transient. 

Psalm xxiv, l. The earth is Jehovah's, and the fullness thereof; 

The world, and they that dwell therein. 

All of earth's genuine and abiding properties, all 
its essential gems and wealths and ranks and fames 
and powers and wisdoms and joys, have been be- 
queathed in the eternal councils to the Divine 
Man ; and even the prince and god of this world 
can not alienate the glorious entail. 



Condition. 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 287 

Thou art the First, and thou the Last ; 

Time centers all in thee, 
The Almighty God, who was and is 

And evermore shall be. 

If ever the father of lies littered a falsehood, it 
was when he said to Jesus : " Unto me all this 
hath been delivered, and to whomsoever I will I 
give it." 

And now let us note the condition on which ' The Satanic 
Satan proffers his gift : " All these things will I 
give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship be- Luke iv,' 7. 
fore me." But how could Satan imagine that a 
proposition so blunt and hideous as this could be 
entertained for an instant by a spirit so spotless as 
that of Jesus ? Remember, then, that Satan has 
not yet appeared to Jesus in his true character. 
In the wilderness he had appeared to him as a 
sympathetic friend, taking kindly concern in his 
bodily welfare. On the pinnacle he had appeared 
to him as a saintly companion, urging such an ex- 
hibition of his divine Sonhood as would inaugurate 
his Messiahship with dazzling credential. And 
now on the mountain he appears to him as an 
angel of light, radiant in all the pomp of a uni- 
versal, absolute sovereignty. Again picture the 
scene. It was as though Satan had said : " I know 
that thou art Jehovah's Messiah. Sublime is the 
enterprise that lies before thee ; thou shalt be suc- 
cessful. But ages must first roll away ; thy king- 
dom is to be set up in tears and shame and pangs ; 
before thou canst sit on thy throne thou must 
hang on a cross. Yet this earth and the fullness 
thereof is thine by promise of thy eternal .Father, 



288 THE DIVINE MAN. 

"Why, then, postpone the hour of thy triumph ? 
Behold here all the kingdoms of the world and 
the glory of them. Already they are thine by 
right of irreversible promise. Compel the world 
to confess they are thine ; seize the sword. Or, 
if thy gentle heart shrink, use the softer weap- 
ons of intellectual resources ; see among the king- 
doms of the world yonder resplendent Athens, 
radiant with the trophies of genius ; take a lesson 
from her; choose for thy champions illustrious 
rabbis, orators whom the people most delight to 
honor, sages whose words are oracles. Behold im- 
perial Borne, whose heathen eagles even now are 
insolently fluttering in sacrilegious triumph over 
thy own holy hill of Zion ; uplift among the na- 
tions that ensign which Jehovah thy God hath 
given thee ; assert thy rightful supremacy ; sum- 
mon thy angelic legions ; ascend the throne of thy 
father David; and Rome herself, proud mistress 
of a hundred empires, shall bow in homage before 
thee, and a loyal world shall kiss Messiah's scepter. 
Defer not, then, thy holy triumph. All the king- 
doms of the world and the glory of them — all shall 
be thine to-day, this moment, if thou wilt but 
acknowledge them as my gift by using my meth- 
ods ; for all this hath been delivered unto me, and 
to whomsoever I will I give it." Such, it seems 
to me, was the real meaning of the temptation of 
the mountain. The devil tempted Jesus to estab- 
lish his kingdom as an outward kingdom, and 
through the use of worldly means. And the es- 
tablishment of such a kingdom in such a way in- 
volved the worship of Satan ; for, as we have 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 289 

seen, Satan is the prince and god of this world, 
having stamped his seal royal on all its secularities. 
To set irp and carry on Messiah's kingdom on the 
foundations of worldliness is to fall down and 
worship in the synagogue of Satan. Rev. a, 9. 

But the very proposition reveals to Jesus the The Repulse, 
character of his companion. Hitherto, in the wil- Matt, iv, 10. 
derness and on the jDinnacle, Satan has seemed an 
ardent and saintly friend ; now on the mountain 
he unwittingly shows himself in the very character 
of his own suggestion to be what he really is— a 
supreme and deadly foe : in fact, the very mean- 
ing of the word " Satan " is " Adversary." And 
so we pass to note the repulse. Kising in the 
grand sovereignty of an unconquerable virtue, the 
Galilean Carpenter strips the mask off the tempt- 
er's face, and hurling him from off himself, ex- 
claims, " Begone, adversary ! for it is written, 
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him 
only shalt thou serve." The passage which he 
substantially cites is still from the book of Deu- 
teronomy, the sixth chapter, the thirteenth verse : Dent, vi, 13. 
" Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God ; and him 
shalt thou serve." And, observe, Jesus again con- 
quers in the sphere of humanity. He still keeps 
himself in the plane of human nature by accept- 
ing for himself the command given to ancient 
Israel, as being himself an Israelite, and so a man. 
Yes, even the Divine Man himself, not less than 
any other of the sons of men, must worship the 
Lord his God, and none other shall he serve. 
Thus did the devil cast his last desperate die ; and 
thus did the devil lose. 

25 



290 THE DIVINE MAN. 

Satan's. Tem- "And when the devil had completed every 
porary Re- temptation, he departed from him for a season." 

Luke iv 13. ^ n ^ wen ne m ight- For he has tried his utmost, 
and he has lost. Arraying against Jesns all pos- 
sible enginery of artifice and force, which his own 
measureless hate and subtlety could conceive, he 
has been foiled at every step ; his elaborate, pro- 
longed, tremendous campaign issuing in utter rout 
and dismay. No wonder he stoops his crest and 
flees. But his retreat is only temporary, departing 
from him for a season. Ere long he will return 
and re-offer battle, as in Gethsemane and on the 
cross. But the victor of wilderness, and pin- 

jonnxiv, 30. nacle, and mountain, shall then also say: "The 
prince of the world cometh ; and he hath noth- 
ing in me." Meantime Satan has tried his tre- 
mendous campaign of the forty days, and the 
triple temptation ; and, having lost the field, 
flies. 

The Angelic " And, behold, angels came and ministered unto 
Ministry. M m." Yerilj, Satan uttered a truth, although he 
meant a lie, when he said to Jesus : 

He shall give his angels charge over the» to guard 

thee: 
And on their hands shall they hear thee up, 
Lest, haply, thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

Heb. i, 14. "Well might angels descend to minister unto him 

Heb. ii, io. who is more than salvation's heir, even salvation's 

author. 

Such is the story of the temptation of Jesus 

Christ. Reviewing this majestic duel as a whole, 

observe : 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 291 

First, the threefold temptation as addressed The Triple 
to man's threefold nature. In the wilderness, addressedto 
Satan appealed to Christ's body or somatic nature, Man'sTripie 
tempting him to substitute loaves for stones ; on 
the pinnacle, Satan appealed to Christ's soul or 
psychical nature, tempting him to substitute pag- 
eantry for obscurity ; on the mountain, Satan ap- 
pealed to Christ's spirit or pneumatic nature, 
tempting him to substitute force for grace. And 
so the threefold temptation answers to St. John's 
threefold characterization of worldliness or sin, to 
wit : The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and 1 John a, 16. 
the vainglory of life. And these three are the 
epitome of all temptations. Thus, did Satan 
tempt, and thus did Jesus conquer throughout the 
whole sphere of all possible probation. 

Secondly, the typical character of the three- Typical Char- 
fold temptation. Observe how the story of the Threefold 10 
wilderness, the pinnacle, and the mountain fore- Temptation, 
casts the story of humanity's great trial. 

Take the temptation of the wilderness. Christ's The Wilder- 
hunger was Satan's vantage-ground. And so it 
has been ever since. Satan has ever been ready 
to take advantage of our necessities. Bread is 
still the question of life. How countless the tragi- 
cal cases in which men have felt themselves forced 
to choose between dying of hunger and sinfully 
turning stones into loaves, between starving and 
stealing, alike in direct way of literal pilfering, and 
in indirect way of fraud and legal technicality. 
This is the thought which has given such tragic 
power to Yictor Hugo's Les Miserables. Now is 
the very time for Satan to whisper: "The end 



292 THE DIVINE MAN. 

justifies. the means." And so our necessities are, 
in an eminent sense, the occasions of our peril. 
"When, then, we are brought into such frightful 
stress, what are we to do ? Precisely as Jesus did. 

i cor. x, 13. Say to the tempter : " I will trust my Father ; he 
is faithful, and will not suffer me to be tempted 
above that I am able ; but will with the tempta- 
tion make also the way of escape, that I may be 
able to endure it ; sooner than let me starve he 
will rain down manna from heaven ; for man doth 
not live by bread alone ; in all events, I will let 
his stones remain stones." This, then, is the great 
lesson of the wilderness : Trust God. Presume 
not to take his scepter into your hands. For 
stones which you have turned into loaves, God 
will most surely turn into stones again ; and then 
you will starve indeed. Yea, there is something 
better than even bread — it is every word that pro- 
ceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. Trust is 
the vanquisher of Satan. 

The Pinnacle. Again, take the temptation of the pinnacle. 
Christ's trustfulness was Satan's vantage-ground : 
" Since thou art God's Son, cast thyself down, for 
his angels shall bear thee up." And this tempta- 
tion to temerity has been Satan's policy ever since. 
To the virtuous man he says : " Be not afraid of 
exposing thyself to temptation ; for thee it is safe 
to dally with the wine-cup, the immoral book, the 
skeptical suggestion, for thou art unconquerable in 
the fortress of thy natural virtues." To the busi- 
ness man he says : " Be not afraid to plunge into 
venturesome speculation ; for thou hast a clear eye, 
a steady nerve, a rugged will." To the healthy 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 293 

man he says : " Be not afraid of presuming on the 
laws of physiology : thou may est keep unseason- 
able hours, regale thyself with unwholesome dain- 
ties, put to tension thy powers of business, pleas- 
ure, study, endeavor ; for thou hast a splendid con- 
stitution." To the Christian he says : " Be not 
afraid of launching out on the goodness of God : 
his grace is sufficient for all things ; thou canst safe- 
ly neglect Sunday-school, prayer-meeting, church, 
closet ; for thou art the heavenly Father's child." 
And so our very privileges are the occasions of 
our peril. Grace itself is the pinnacle from which 
it is most easy to fall into the bottomless abyss. 
And when Satan thus tempts us, what are we to 
do ? Precisely as Jesus did. Say to the tempter : 
" I will not presume on my Father's goodness ; I 
will not experiment with his promises ; I will not 
tempt the Lord my God." This, then, is the great 
lesson of the pinnacle : Our w T ays are safe only as 
they are God's ways. Obedience is the vanquisher 
of Satan. 

Once more, take the temptation of the mount- The Mountain, 
ain. Christ's Messiahship was Satan's vantage- 
ground. Accordingly, the devil's suggestion, that 
the Messiah, in setting up his kingdom, should use 
worldly appliances and methods, was in some re- 
spects the subtlest and stoutest of the temptations. 
And it is a temptation which ever since has ap- 
pealed powerfully to Christ's followers. That the 
Church should be enthroned as the confessed mis- 
tress of the world ; that she should wield visibly 
its civic powers, dictating its rulers, and legisla- 
tions, and policies; that both miter and crown 



294 TEE DIVINE MAN. 

should encircle her own brow, so that, where the 
crozier had failed, the scimiter should not ; that 
emperors should be her chosen patrons and de- 
fenders, and her throne be borne in resplendent 
state on the shoulders of princes — this has always 
been a favorite dream of many of God's chosen 
ones. But such a dream has ever led into peril. 
Would God that the Church had always profited 
by the story of the mountain. In the seculariz- 
ing of Christianity by the allying of Church and 
State ; in the smothering of the spirituality of 
Christ's kingdom by the patronage and cham- 
pionship of political sovereignties ; in the soiling 
of her purity and the fettering of her energies 
by the selfish and slippery policies of statecraft ; 
in the invoking of the arm of the civil power to 
maintain and propagate her faith ; in the decree- 
ing that nonconformity to her ritual shall be 
heresy, and liberty of conscience shall be treason ; 
in the opening of parliament chambers to her mi- 
tered dignitaries ; in the filling of earth's cabinets 
with her cardinals, and legates, and nuncios ; in 
the enriching her coffers with the levies of her 
fiefs and the tolls of her imperial lieges ; in her 
cross and keys emblazoned on senate-house and 
post-office ; in the cannonading of her St. Angelo 
on Easter morning ; in brief, in the demanding 
of legislation in behalf of the Church — in all this 
we see the devil's victory over the Church at pre- 
cisely the point where the devil was vanquished 
by the Church's Master. And as the devil prom- 
ised to Jesus that he would give him all the king- 
doms of the world and the glory of them if he 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 295 

would but make his own kingdom a worldly king- 
dom, so the devil has often fulfilled that promise 
in the ease of those who have yielded to his temp- 
tation. But his gifts have proved to be satanic 
gifts indeed. As long as the Church insisted on 
the spirituality of Christ's kingdom, while as yet 
her ministers went forth without purse or sword, 
preaching that kingdom which is not eating and Rom. xw, n. 
drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in 
the Holy Ghost, so long was the Church compara- 
tively pure in doctrine and in practice. But when 
her success began to arrest the attention of the 
rulers of this world, and they saw that her influ- 
ence was to be courted, and when she yielded to 
their seductive proffers of aid, then a tide of im- 
purity began to set in which, ere long, submerged 
her in all manner of filth and abomination. The 
most ominous day the Church ever saw was the 
day when Coustantine the Great, having renounced 
heathenism, at least in part, proclaimed himself 
the imperial patron of Christianity and defender 
of the faith. That alliance of Church and State 
set back the Church for centuries, and to this day 
she is reeling beneath the satanic stab she then 
received. Alas ! the devil is still plying the 
Church with this same temptation of the mount- 
ain, turning our opportunities into our perils. 
And when he thus tempts us, what are we to do % 
Precisely as Jesus did. Say to the tempter: "I isaiah xxx?, 1. 
will not go down to Egypt for help, or stay on 
horses ; I will not trust in chariots because they 
are many, or in horsemen because they are very 
strong. O Jehovah, my God, it is nothing with schron.xiv.n. 



296 THE DIVINE MAN. 

thee to help, whether with many or with them 
that have no strength ; help me, O Lord my God, 
for I rely on thee, and in thy name I go against 

Psaim ix, 12. this multitude. Through God I shall do valiantly, 
for he it is who shall tread down my adversaries. 
I will worship the Lord my God, and him alone 
will I serve." This, then, is the great lesson of the 

Psaim cxviii, 9. mountain : It is better to trust in Jehovah than to 
put confidence in princes. Spirituality is the van- 
quisher of Satan. 

The Victorious Thirdly, the victorious Jesus is our exemplar 
Inspiration^ an( ^ cheer. In all points tempted like as we are, in 

Heb. iv, is. all points he also conquered, even as by his strength 
we also may conquer. For, be it remembered (and 
the point is of so supreme moment in our study 
of the temptation of the Divine Man that I must 
give it the emphasis of iteration), Jesus conquered 
as a man, winning his victory in the sphere of his 
human nature. To say that he was tempted as man, 
but that he conquered as God, is to rob the story of 
the temptation of its meaning and inspiration. 
Divine, indeed, he most certainly was, but it was 
not the Divinity which conquered ; what the Di- 
vinity did was to give infinite worth to the victory 
which the humanity had won. Tempted as man, 
and as man triumphant — this it is which gives to the 
story of the temptation its moral and its immortal 
power ; this is the inspiring cheer of victory which 
the Church for eighteen centuries has been echo- 
ing bach to wilderness and pinnacle and mountain. 
And observe, also, the simple weajoon with which 
the Son of man conquered ; it was the Excalibar 
of a threefold scriptural citation, drawn from the 



THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS CHRIST. 297 

armory of the Church's oldest book, the arsenal of Deut. vi, 13, 16; 

the Pentateuch. A simple citation from the Word 

of Truth vanquishes the father of lies. Enough 

to say, " It is written," and he will fly. The Eph. vi, 17. 

sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 

Lastly, make peace with the victorious Jesus. A Personal 
He it is, and he only, who is stronger than the ppea ' 

• j. ,, ii 1 ■ Luke xi, 21, 28. 

strong man" fully armed, and can come upon him, 

and bind him, and take from him his whole armor 

wherein he trusted, and divide his spoils. Come, 

then, within the glorious circle of the Divine Man. 

Fall down and worship him who vanquished Satan. 

Then shall thy Father also spread a table for thee 

in the wilderness, and give his angels charge over 

thee, and from an exceeding high mountain, even 

a heavenly, thou shalt survey a kingdom and a 

glory which shall indeed be thine when all the 

kingdoms of this world and the glory of them shall 

have melted into eternal space. Listen then to the 

Divine Man : " He that overcometh, I will give Rev. m, 21. 

to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I 

also overcame, and am sat down with my Father 

in his throne." 

O God, merciful Father, who despisest not the sighing Collect, 
of a contrite heart, nor the desire of such as are sorrowful ; 
Mercifully assist our prayers which we make before thee in 
all our troubles and adversities, whensoever they oppress 
us ; and graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft 
and subtilty of the devil or man worketh against us, may, 
by thy good providence, be brought to nought ; that we 
thy servants, being hurt by no persecutions, may evermore 
give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church ; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



INDEX OF TOPICS. 



PAGE 

Advent : second 1S5 

jEolian harp : sacred writers com- 
pared to 42 

Angels : ministration of 5(5-60 

Angels : the first evangelists 135 

Anna : homage of 164 

Anno Domini 109 

Annunciation: to Joseph 92-105 

Mary 61-71 

the shepherds 181-144 

Zacharias 48-60 

Apostolic constitutions: the true.. 47 
Asceticism : place of, in Christian- 
ity 89-91 

Am Maria 66-69 

Baptism of Jesus 248 

Begotten : Jesus, the only 25, 26 

Bmedictus of Zacharias 86, 87 

Bethlehem 114-116 

Bible in colleges 78 

Birth of Jesus 108-119 

Ca?sar : decree of 11 1-114 

Cave of the nativity 115, 116 

Chanting : superiority of. 81 

Cherubim : symbols of Gospels. 45,46 
Christmas: propriety of observing. 110 
Christianity : stabled rather than 

inned 118 

Chronology of the nativity 109 

Church: a continuous incarnation 

37,38 

a voice in the wilderness 247 

and state 293-296 

Circumcision of Jesus 145-148 



PAGE 

Civilization : gentleness of Chris- 
tian 197,198 

Conception : the divine 64, 65 

the immaculate 66 

Constitutions : the true apostolic. . . 4T 
Creation : Christ the medium of. . . 16 

Daily life : our university 233, 234 

the true liturgy 81, S2 

Delay : school of 231 

Divine sovereignty and human 

freedom 113, 114 

Dualism : deep truth underlying 

ancient 18 

Egypt : call out of 190-192 

flight into 187-193 

Elisabeth : her homage to Mary. 76, 77 

Epiphany to the Gentiles 182, 1S3 

Evangelists : angels the first 135 

our debt to them 46, 47 

Experience : school of 232, 233 

First-born: redemption of. .. . 152,153 

Flesh : Word became 23, 24 

Folly of opposing Jesus Christ. 208, 209 
Free will : compatible with inspi- 
ration 41, 42 

with divine sovereignty 113, 114 

Fullness : Christ the Divine. 26, 27, 193 

Gabriel 53-55,63,64 

Genealogy of Jesus 120-129 

Gentiles : epiphany to 1 82, 183 

Gloria in Excelsis 139, 140 

God's guidance manifold 177, 178 



300 



INDEX OF TOPICS. 



PAGE 

God's stars must be heeded. . . 179-182 

Gospel : John's prologue to 11-33 

Gospels : advantage of having sev- 
eral 44-46 

characterization of. 45 

cherubic symbolism of 45, 46 

Luke's preface to 37-47 

many primitive 38-40 

source of. 40, 41 

the only true " traditions " 41 

Growth: problem of Jesus's . . 219-221 

Heraldry : the Baptist's 235-247 

Herod : character of. 175, 176, 197-201 

History ever prophetic 192, 193 

Homage of the shepherds 143 

of Simeon and Anna 154-107 

of the Wise Men 168-186 

nome: school of. 226,227 

Ideal Man : Jesus Christ the. ... 31, 32 

Imagination : power of. 2S3, 284 

Immaculate Conception 66 

Immauuel : meaning of. 102-104 

Incarnation : a philosophical ne- 
cessity .... 09,70 

gives Ideal Man 31, 32 

mystery of. 29, 30 

pivot of Christianity 32 

test of Christianity 32, .83 

the Divine 22-26 

the real problem 219, 220 

Incense : significance of 52, 53 

Infancy : glorification of 117 

Infant salvation : problem of. . 204-208 

Innocents : massacre of. 194-210 

Inspiration compatible with free 

will 41,42 

Intellect: coming homage of. 184 

Interpreter : Jesus the Divine. . 28, 29 
Isolation : school of 228, 229 

Jesus : abasement of 95 

baptism of 249 

birth of. 108-119 

called a Nazarene 214, 215 

called out of Egypt 190-192 

circumcision of 145-148 

conception of 64, 65 

conquered as man 275-277,282, 

289, 296 



PAGE 

Jesus : divinity of 13-16 

folly of opposing 20S-210 

genealogy of 120-129 

heralded by John Baptist 18,19, 

26,27 

his flight into Egypt 187, 190 

his settlement at Nazareth . 211-214 

his visit to the temple 222-226 

many memoirs of 38, 39 

meaning of the name 96 

our model 91 

presentation of. 149-153 

problem of his growth 219-221 

rejection of 20, 21 

temptation of 261-297 

the center of gravity 203 

the divine fullness 26, 27, 193 

the divine medium in creating. 10 

the Ideal Man 31,32. 

the inspirer of literature 33, £9 

the interpreter of God 28, 29 

the only begotten 25, 26 

the prophet of God 30 

the prophet of man 81 

the saviour from sin 93-98 

the saviour of his people 93-102 

the source of life 17 

the true light ;'. 17-20 

the true Shechinah 24, 25 

the true tabernacle 24 

the universal mediator 23 

the Word of God 14-16, 28, 29 

training of 217-234 

twofold sign of his birth 133 

John the Apostle: his prologue to 

the Gospel 9-33 

'•The Eagle" 11-13 

"The Theologian" 16 

John the Baptist : birth of, foretold 

53, 54 

heraldry by 18, 19, 235-247 

his homage to Jesus 76 

naming of 85, 86 

training of 87, 88 

Joseph : annunciation to 92-105 

character of. 95, 96 

" Knights of St. John " 91 

Life : Jesns the source of 17 



INDEX OF TOPICS. 



301 



PAGE 

Light : Jesus the true 17-20 

Literature : Christ the inspirer of 38, 39 
Logos: meaning of the term.... 14-16 
Luke: his preface to his Gospel. 37-47 

purpose in writing 43, 44 

qualifications 42, 43 

Magians : homage of 16S-186 

Magnificat of Mary 77, 78 

Man: Jesus the Ideal 31,32 

Mariolatry 66, 67 

Mary : annunciation to 61-71 

character of. 65-69 

purification of 152 

tragical condition of 75, 95 

her visit to Elisabeth 74-82 

Massacre of the Innocents 195-210 

Mediator : Jesus Christ the uni- 
versal 28 

Memoirs of Jesus : many primi- 
tive 38, 39 

Mountain : temptation of 2S2-289, 

293-296 

Music : place of, in worship 80-82 

Musical instruments : sacred writ- 
ers compared to 42 

Name above every name 104, 105 

Nativity : chronology of 109 

twofold sign of 136-138 

Nature : school of 229, 230 

Nazarene : meaning of 214, 215 

Nazareth: settlement at 211-216 

Nunc Dwiittis : Simeon's 160, 161 

Obscurity of the thirty years. 221, 222, 

226 

Old age: beauty of Christian. 165-167 

Parallelism : Hebrew 77, 78 

Pedigree : Jewish pride in 123-125 

Pentateuch: Jesus's arsenal.. 296,297 

Pinnacle: temptation of 277-282, 

292, 293 

Plenitude : Jesus the divine. ... 26, 27, 

203 

Poetry : place of, in worship 78-82 

Preface to the Gospels 34-47 

Presentation of Jesus 149-153 

26 



PAGE 

Problem of Divine sovereignty and 

human freedom 113, 114 

of infant salvation 204-208 

of Jesus's growth 219-221 

Prologue to the Gospel 9-33 

Prophecy ever unfolding 192, 193 

Prophet : Jesus God's 30 

Providence : school of 229 

Psalms: many of them liturgical. . 80 
Purification of Virgin Mary 152 



Quakers: their intonation. 



80 



Ramah : voice in 201-203 

Redemption of first-born 152, 153 

Revival under John Baptist.. . 239-244 
Routine : school of 230 

Salvation : meaning of 96-102 

Satan: his bad expositions .. . 280, 281 

his enormous power 278 

his tremendous claim 235-2S9 

Science : coming homage of 184 

Shechinah : Jesus the true 24, 25 

various forms of 134, 135 

Shepherds: annunciation to.. 131-144 
Sidney: Sir Philip, his generous 

self-denial 90, 91 

Simeon : homage of 157-163 

Sin : Jesus Christ saves from. . 96-102 

Society : school of. 223 

Stabat Mater Dolorosa 162 

Star in the East 171-175 

Stars : God's, must be heeded. 179-182 
Starvation: paralyzing effect of 272, 273 

Subordination : school of 227 

Synagogue : school of 229 

Tabernacle : Jesus Christ the true. 24 

Temple : Jesus's visit to 222-226 

Temptation of Jesus 261-297 

addressed to man's triple nature 291 

climacteric 271 

manner of 270, 271 

not necessarily sinful 264, 265 

place of. 269 

reality of 263, 264 

reasons for 265-267 

source of inspiration 296 

time of 267 



302 



INDEX OF TOPICS. 



PAGE 

Temptation of Jesus : typical char- 
acter of 291-296 

Temptation : school of. 22T, 228 

" Theologus " : St. John the 16 

Toil: school of. 227, 22S 

Traditions: the Gospels the only- 
true 41 

Virgin Mary : worship of 66, 67 

Visit of Jesus to the temple. . . 222-226 

Visit of Mary to Elisabeth 74-82 

Voice in Eamah 201-203 

in the wilderness 237-239, 247 

Wilderness : temptation of. . . 272-277, 
291, 292 



PAGE 

Wilderness: voice in 237-239, 247 

Wise Men : homage of the. . . . 16S-186 

Word became flesh 23, 24 

Word of God 14-16, 28, 29 

Worship : a life 81 

a rhythm 82 

place of music in 73-82 

hours of angel annunciation 60 

Zacharias : annunciation to 48-60 

his incredulity 54 

his punishment 55 

Zoroaster: deep truth underlying 

dualism 19 

groping after light 182 



INDEX OF PRINCIPAL SCRIPTURES. 






PAGE 

Deuteronomy vi, 13 2S9, 295, 296 

Deuteronomy vi, 16 231, 282, 293 

Deuteronomy viii, 3 275, 276, 292 

Psalm xci, 11, 12 2S0, 281, 292 

Isaiah yii, 14 102-104 

Isaiah xi, 1 214, 215 

Isaiah xi, 3-5 238, 239, 247 

Jeremiah xxxi, 15 201-203 

Jeremiah xxxi, 15-17 206-208 

Hosea xi, 1 190-193 

Micah v, 2 110-114 

Matthew i, 1-17 125-127 

Matthew i, 18-25 95-105 

Matthew i, 18, 19 95, 96 

Matthew i, 20, 21 96-102 

Matthew i, 22, 23 102-104 

Matthew i, 24, 25 104 

Matthew ii, 1-12 171-186 

Matthew ii, 1, 2 171-175 

Matthew ii, 3-8 175, 176 

Matthew ii, 9-12 176 

Matthew ii, 13-15 189-193 

Matthew ii, 14 190 

Matthew ii, 15 190-193 

Matthew ii, 16-18 197-210 

Matthew ii, 16 199-201 

Matthew ii, 17, 18 201-210 

Matthew ii, 19-23 213-215 

Matthewii, 19-21 213 

Matthew ii, 22, 23 213-215 



PAGE 

Matthew iii, 1-12 237-247 

Matthew iii, 1-4 237-239 

Matthew iii, 5, 6 239-241 

Matthew iii, 13-17 251-260 

Matthew iii, 13-15 251-253 

Matthew iii, 16, 17 253, 254 

Matthew iv, 1-11 263-297 

Matthewiv, 1 263-271 

Matthew iv, 2-4 272-277, 291, 292 

Matthew iv, 4 275-277 

Matthew iv, 5-7 277-282, 292, 293 

Matthewiv, 8-10.... 282-290, 293-295 

Matthew iv, S 2S2-2S4 

Matthew iv, 9 2S7-290 

Matthew iv, 10 289 

Matthew iv, 11 . 290 

Marki, 1-8 237-247 

Mark i, 9-11 251-260 

Mark i, 12, 13 263-297 

Luke i, 1-4 37-47 

Luke i,5-25 51-60 

Luke i, 5-7 51,52 

Luke i, 8-10 52,53 

Luke i, 11-18 53,54 

Luke i, 19-23 54,55 

Luke i, 24, 25 56 

Luke i, 26-38 63-71 

Luke i, 39-56 75-82 

Luke i, 39, 40 75,76 

Luke i, 41-45 76, 77 

Luke i, 46-55 77,78 

Luke i, 57-80 85-91 

Luke i,57-66 85,86 

Luke i, 67-79 86,87 



304 



INDEX OF PRINCIPAL SCRIPTURES. 



PAGE 

Luke i, 80 87,68 

Luke ii, 1-7 109-119 

Luke ii, 8-20 133-144 

Lukeii, 8 133 

Luke ii, 9 133-135 

Luke ii, 10, 11 135 

Luke ii, 12 136-138 

Lukeii, 13, 14 139-143 

Luke ii, 15-20 143 

Luke ii, 21 147, 148 

Luke ii, 22-24 151-153 

Luke ii, 25-3S 157-107 

Luke ii, 25 157, 158 

Lukeii, 26 158,159 

Lukeii, 27 159,160 

Lukeii, 27, 28 160 

Luke ii, 29-32 160-162 

Luke ii, 33-35 162-164 

Luke ii, 36-38 164 

Luke ii, 39 214, 215 

Luke ii, 40-52 219-234 

Luke ii, 40 219-221 

Luke ii, 41, 50 222-226 

Luke ii, 41, 42 222, 223 

Lukeii, 43, 44 223,224 

Luke ii, 45-50 224-226 

Lukeii, 51 226 

Luke ii, 52 219-221 

Lukeiii, 1-18 237-247 



PAGE 

Luke iii, 7-14 241-244 

Luke iii, 15, 16 244-246 

Lukeiii,17 246 

Luke iii, 23-38 125-127 

Luke iii, 21, 22 251-260 

Luke iv, 1-13 263-297- 

Luke iv, 2-4 272-275 

Luke iv, 4 275-277 

Luke iv, 5-8 , 

Luke iv, 6 

Luke iv, 7 287-289 

Lukeiv, 8 289,290 

Luke iv, 9-12 277-282, 291, 292 

Lukeiv, 13 290 

John i, 1-18 11-83 

Johni, 1, 2 13-15 

Johni,3 16 

John i, 4,5 17,18 

Johni, 6-8 18,19 

Johni, 9 19,20 

John i, 10, 11 20, 21 

Johni,12,13 21,22 

John i, 14 22-26 

Johni, 15..., 26,27 

Johni, 16 27 

Johni, 17 27,28 

John i, 18 28, 29 



INDEX OF PRINCIPAL AUTHORS 
CITED. 



PAGE 

Adam of St. Victor : " Supra coelos 

dum conscendit" 45, 46 

Augustine : " Beata necessitas bo- 

ni" 98 

" Deus ; quid gloriosius ? " etc. . 29 
" Habet Scriptura Sacra haustus 

primos," etc 1C3 

" Johannes lumen illuminatum : 
Christus lumens" 19 

Bacon : " De Augmentis," ii, 2 103 

Bailey: "We live in deeds; not 

words" 166 

Bengel : " Non mater gratiae, sed 

filia gratias " 67 

Bethune : " There is no name so 

sweet on earth" 105 

Bonaventura: "The Lord of the 
temple presented in the tem- 
ple" 151 

"We praise thee, Mother of 
God!" 66 

Brooke : Analysis of Simeon's 

Character 166 

Browning, Mrs. E. B : " Say of me 
as the angel said, ' Thou 
art 1 " 67 

Bunyan : " Just as he was come 

over against the mouth of". 271 

Coles: "Breast-high in thee, not 

snow is half so white " 253 

Goethe : " 'Tis written : ' In the be- 
ginning was the Word ' " . . . 14 

Heber: "No workman's steel, no 

ponderous axes rung " 233 



PAGE 

Jacobus 'de Benedictis : "Stabat 

Mater Dolorosa " 163 

Keble: "Ave Maria! blessed 

maid ! " 68, 69 

" Where all around, on mount- 
ain, sand, and sky " 269 

Longfellow : " Down the dark fu- 
ture, through long genera- 
tions" 142,143 

" There is no flock, however 
watched and tended " 205 

Macrobius : " Melius est Herodis 

porcum esse quam fllium ". . 198 

Milton : " Gay religions, full of 

pomp and gold " 286 

" I can not praise a fugitive and 

cloistered virtue " 90 

" The meek-eyed Peace ". . 140, 141 

Moore : " The trail of the serpent 

is over them all " 2S6 

Parker : " The roof is more de- 
pendent upon the founda- 
tion " 137 

Parnell : " Far in the wild, un- 
known to public view " 88 

Pliny: "Ante lucem con venire, car- 
menque Christo quasi Deo," 
etc SO 

Prudentius: " Corde natus ex Pa- 
rentis" 116, 117 

" Salvete, flores mnrtyrum " 207, 208 

Shakespeare : " But then I sigh, 
and with a piece of Script- 
ure" 280 



306 



INDEX OF PRINCIPAL AUTHORS CITED. 



PAGE 

Shakespeare: "How fearful and 

dizzy 'tis to cast" 279 

"The devil can cite Scripture 

for his purpose " 280 

" 'lis one thing to be tempted, 

Escalus" 265 

" Will all great Neptune's ocean 

wash this blood " 257 

Southwell: "This stable is a 

Prince's court " 13S 

Spencer: "And is there care in 
heaven ? and is there love " 

58,59 



PAGE 

Taylor: "They gave to thee 

myrrh " 186 

Tennyson : " All men'sgoodbeeach 

man's rule " 142 

" I stretch lame hands of faith, 

and grope" 183 

"The past will always win a 

glory" 258 

" The shining table-lands " 180 

Unknown : " Verbum Dei, Deo Na- 

tum" 11,13 

Wordsworth : " Heaven lies about 
us in our infancy " 137 



WORKS OF 

Rev. GEORGE D. BOARDMAN, D.D. 



Studies in tl\e Mountain Instruction. 

1 vol., 12mo. Cloth, $1.25. 
The Lectures, fourteen in number, embrace the following topics : 1. 
Introductory ; 2. Christ's Doctrine op Blessedness ; 3. Christ's Doc- 
trine of the Church; 4. Christ's Doctrine of Fulfillment ; 5. Christ's 
Doctrine of Reconciliation ; 6. Christ's Doctrine of Asceticism ; 

I. Christ's Doctrine of Words ; 8. Christ's Doctrine of Perfection ; 
9. Christ's Doctrine of Worship; 10. Christ's Doctrine of Prayer; 

II. Christ's Doctrine of Wealth; 12. Christ's Doctrine of Sonship ; 
13. Christ's Doctrine of Society ; 14. Christ's Doctrine of Character. 

"Replete with the Christian spirit, and the genius and learning for 
which the speaker is noted." — The Christian Union. 

II. 

Studies in tl\e Creative Week. 

1 vol., 12mo. Cloth, $1.25. 
The Lectures, fourteen in number, embrace the following topics : 1. 
Introduction ; 2. Genesis of the Universe ; 3. Of Order ; 4. Of Light ; 
5. Of the Sky ; 6. Of the Lands ; 1. Of Plants ; 8. Of the Lumi- 
naries ; 9. Of Animals; 10. Of Man; 11. Of JEden; 12. Of Woman; 
13. Of the Sabbath ; 14. Palingenesis. 

" We see in the Lectures more than the sensation of the hour. They 
will have a marked effect in defining the position of the believer of to-day, 
in certifying both to disciple and to skeptic just what is to be held against 
all attack; and the statement of the case will be in many cases 'the 
strongest argument. They will tend to broaden the minds of believers, 
and to lift them above the 'etter to the plane of the spirit. They will 
show that truth and religion are capable of being defended without vio- 
lence, without denunciation, without misrepresentation, without the im- 
pugning of motives." — National Baptist. 

" Revelation and Science can not really conflict, because ' truth can 
not be contrary to truth ' ; but so persistent have been the attacks of 
scientists on time-honored orthodoxy,, that the believer in Revelation has 
long demanded an exhaustive work on the first chapter of Genesis. In 
response to this widespread feeling, the Rev. George Dana Boardman, 
D. D., the learned pastor of the First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, was 
requested to deliver a course of lectures covering this debatable ground." 

[See next pasb.I 



WORKS OF REV. GEORGE D. BOARDMAN, D. D.— (Continued.) 
III. 

Studies in tl\e Model Prayer. 

1 vol., 12mo. Cloth, $1.25. 

" This prayer, short as it is, contains such an inexhaustible number 
of suggestions that our author, in his well-written work, does not hope 
to have nearly fathomed the subject. There are many paragraphs that 
would have a place here were it not for lack of space. The book is 
adapted equally to the pulpit-orator and the Christian citizen." — Chicago 
Tribune. 

" The lectures are lucid in style, devotional in spirit, and closely prac- 
tical to the daily life." — Hartford Courant. 

"A most scholarly, enthusiastic, and interesting consideration of the 
deep and wonderful meaning condensed into the simple and brief sen- 
tences of the Lord's Prayer." — Boston Journal of Commerce. 

"The book is an exhaustive treatise upon its fruitful theme; few will 
gainsay the author's profound study of his subject or question the sin- 
cerity of his views. The chapter on temptation is one of the most origi- 
nal and striking interpretations of this line of the prayer that has been 
presented. The book is one that will have more than a passing interest." 
—N. Y. Herald. 

IV. 

Epiphar\ies of tl\e Risen Lord. 

1 vol., 12mo. Cloth, $1.25. 

"A volume of peculiar interest to religious readers." — Boston Evening 
Transcript. 

"The importance of the subject, and its scholarly, dispassionate, yet 
reverent and Christian treatment should recommend it strongly to the 
notice of all evangelical believers." — Boston Journal of Commerce. 

" The author has brought to the study of the epiphanies that pro- 
found knowledge of the sacred writings and clear and felicitous style 
that make his works so popular. The first and second chapters relate to 
the entombment and the resurrection. Then the epiphanies are discussed 
in their order: 1. To Mary Magdalene; 2. To the other Women; 
3. To the Two; 4. To the Ten; 5. To Thomas; 6. The Epiphany in 
the Galilean Mountain ; 7. To the Seven ; 8. The Ascension ; 9. The 
Forty Days; 10. To Saul of Tarsus. It is a book to be profitably 
read." — Baltimore Gazette. 



For sale by all booksellers ; or any volume sent by mail, post-paid, to 
any address in the United States, on receipt of price. 



D. APPLET ON & CO., Publishers, 1,3, & 5 Bond Street, New York. 



RELIGIOUS WORKS. 



Studies in the Life of Christ. 

By the Rev. A. M. Fairbairn, D. D., Principal of Airedale College, Brad- 
ford ; author of " Studies in the Philosophy of Religion and His- 
tory," etc. 12mo, cloth, $1.50. 

CONTENTS: 

The Historical Conditions— The Narratives of the Birth and Infancy— The Growth and 
Education of Jesus; His Personality — The Baptist and the Christ — The Temp- 
tation of Christ— The New Teacher; The Kingdom of Heaven— Galilee, Judea, 
Samaria — The Master and the Disciples — The Earlier Miracles— Jesus and the 
Jews — The Later Teaching — The Later Miracles— Jericho and Jerusalem — 
Gethsemane— The Betrayer— The Chief Priests— The Trial— The Crucifixion— 
The Resurrection. 
"These 'Studies in the Life of Christ 1 are not exhaustive and critical discussions 
on the Gospel History, but are simply attempts at orientation— at reaching points of 
view from which the life of Christ may be understood and construed. . . . The author 
sends the volume forth in the hope that it may help to make the Person it seeks to in- 
terpret more real, living, and lovable, to the men of to-day." — From Preface. 

The Old Testament. in the Jewish Church: 

Twelve Lectures on Biblical Criticism, with Notes. By W. Robertson 
Smith, M. A., recently Professor of Hebrew and Exegesis of the 
Old Testament, Free Church College, Aberdeen. 12mo, cloth, 
$1.75. 
" Speaking after mature deliberation, we pronounce Professor Robertson Smith's 
book ot Biblical Science one of the most important works that has appeared in our 
time. Throughout every branch of the Protestant Church, and especially in all Free 
Churches, its publication ought to be hailed with satisfaction and thankfulness. Hith- 
erto, it was not unpardonable in the ministers and members alluded to. to misunder- 
stand Professor Smith. He has not abandoned one jot or one tittle of his principles, 
but he now for the first time states them comprehensively, and points out their natural 
and logical applications." — The Christian World (London). 

Scotch Sermons, 1880. 

By Principal Caird — Rev. J. Cunningham, D. D., Rev. D. J. Ferguson, 

B. D., Professor Wm. Knight, LL. D., Rev. W. McIntosh, D. D., 

Rev. W. L. M'Farlan, Rev. Allan Menzies, B. D., Rev. T.Nicoll, 

Rev. T. Rain, M. A., Rev. A. Semple, B. D., Rev. J. Stevenson, 

Rev. Patrick Stevenson, Rev. R. H. Story, D. D. 12mo, cloth, 

$1.25. 

This volume originated in the wish to gather together a few specimens of a style of 

teaching which increasingly prevails among the clergy of the Scottish Church, its 

publication has caused almost as much commotion in the Scotch Church as "Essays 

and Reviews" did in the Church of England some years ago. 

""We especially advise all ministers and thoughtful religious teachers to study the 
work; conservatives with such patience as they can command, because, w-hatever may 
be thought of the soundness or unsoundness of its teachings, it is unquestionably one 
of the ablest of all the recent representative utterances of a phase of modern tlwught, 
of which no religious teacher has a right to remain in ignorance." — The Christian 
Union. 



Eor sale by all booksellers; or sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price. 
A APPLETON & CO., Publishers, i, 3, & 5 Bond St., New York. 



RELIGIOUS WORKS. 



Lectures on the Calling of a Christian Woman, 
and her Training to fulfil it. 

Delivered during the Season of Lent, a. d. 1883. By Morgan Dix, S. T. D., 
Rector of Trinity Church, New York. 16mo. 50 cents. 

Of the Imitation of Christ. 

By Thomas a Kempis. A Revised Translation. With a Frontispiece on 
India paper, from a Design by W. B. Richmond. "Parchment 
Series." Choicely printed on linen paper, and bound in limp 
parchment antique. 16mo. $1.25. 

The Christian Year. 

By Rev. John Keble. Printed in red and black, with a Portrait of the 
Author from G. Richmond's Drawing. "Parchment Series." 
Choicely printed on linen paper, and bound in limp parchment 
antique. 16mo. $1.50. 

Musings over "The Christian Year," and "Lyra 
Innocentium," 

With Gleanings of Recollections of the Rev. John Keble, gathered by 
Several Friends. By Chaelotte M. Yonge. 12mo. Cloth, $2.00. 

Women of Christianity, 

Exemplary for Piety and Charity. By Julia Kavanagh. 12mo. Cloth, 

$1.00. 

Student's Concordance to the Revised Version 
of the New Testament. 

Compiled upon an original plan, showing all the changes in all words 
referred to. With Appendices of the chief authorized words and 
passages omitted in the revision, of rare and disused words, and a 
List of Readings and Renderings preferred by the American Com- 
mittee. Small 4to. Cloth, $2.50. 
"This is a volume that has grown out of the revision of the New Testament 
(1881), and we are free to say that it is one of the most useful. It gives the 
words in the strict alphabetical order, as they occur in the New Version ; and 
where new words have taken the place of old (which is very often), the com- 
pilers have so arranged it that, by references under old, familiar words, any one 
can find where they are, and what are the words which have been substituted 
for them in the New Version. There is some valuable preliminary matter, show- 
ing the principal early editions of the Greek Testament and their connection 
with the English Version of 1611 ; and also a brief notation of Greek and other 
manuscripts of the New Testament. In the Appendices is given a select list of 
authorized passages and words which were omitted in the revision by prepon- 
derant authority; also, a list of new, disused, and differently spelled words. The 
compilers (names are not given) have done a good work, faithfully and conscien- 
tiously, and they deserve credit therefor."— New York Guardian. 



P. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, i, 3, &° $ Bond St., Neio York. 



RELIGIOUS WORKS. 



Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes on the 

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. 

Designed for the Use of Pastors and People. 

By Henry Cowles, D. D. Complete in 16 volumes, 12mo, uniformly 
bound in cloth. Price, for the complete work, $25.00; or sepa- 
rate volumes may be had at the prices given below. 

The Old Testament. 

The Pentateuch, in its Progressive Revelations of God to Men. 

1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 
Hebrew History. From the Death of Moses to the Close of the 

Scripture Narrative. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

The Book of Job. l vol. Cloth, $1.50. 

Psalms. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.25. 

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. 

1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

Isaiah. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.25. 

Jeremiah and his Lamentations. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

Ezekiel and Daniel. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.25. 

The Minor Prophets. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

The New Testament. 
Matthew and Mark. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 
Luke, Gospel History, and Acts of the Apostles. 

1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

The Gospel and Epistles of John. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

Longer Epistles Of Paul : viz., Romans, Corinthians I and II. 
1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

The Epistle to the Hebrews. 1 vol. Cloth, $1.50. 

The Shorter Epistles; viz., Of Paul to the Galatians; Ephe- 
sians ; Philippians ; Colossians ; Thessalonians ; Timothy ; Titus and 
Philemon ; also. ®f James, Peter, and Jude. 1 vol. Cloth, $2.00. 

Revelation of St. John. 1 vol. Cloth, $1.50. 

For sale by all booksellers. Any volume sent by mail, post-paid, to any address in 
the United States, on receipt of price. 



D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, 1, 3, & 5 Bond St., New York. 



RELIGIOUS WORKS. 



Critical, Explanatory, and Practical Notes on the 

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. 

Designed for the Use of Pastors arid People. 

By Henry Cowles, D. D. Complete in 16 volumes, 12mo, uniformly 
bound in cloth. 

" I learn that this series — including the entire Scriptures in sixteen 
volumes — is now completed. It is a great work and a great success. 

" When the first volume appeared, it was widely recognized as a work 
of special ability and excellence. It was an undeniably 'good thing come 
out of Nazareth.' Volume after volume has been marked with the same 
excellences. 

" The work is a treasure to the Christian Church and the world ; 
among the very best contributions to the interpretation of the Word of 
God, enriched, but not overloaded or obscured, by learning. 

" No one but a sound and erudite scholar could have written these 
commentaries, but they are quite free from ostentatious display of learn- 
ing. Most admirable good sense and discriminating judgment reign 
throughout the whole. The English style is very remarkable for its un- 
affected simplicity and crystal clearness. I do not believe there can be 
found one attempt at fine writing in these volumes, but they are often 
beautifully and affectingly eloquent. 

"As an expositor, Professor Cowles aims honestly to explain difficul- 
ties and bring out the very soul and spirit of the sacred writers. I doubt 
if our language furnishes a safer, surer guide. 

" It would rejoice my heart to see Professor Cowles duly honored in 
the use of his commentaries by all whom it has been my privilege to 
count among my pupils. I most cordially commend to all intelligent 
Christian men and women the careful perusal of these learned, instruc- 
tive, and deeply spiritual commentaries. The possession of them would 
be a priceless treasure to any family, minister, or Sabbath-school teacher. 

"John Morgan. 
" Obeklin, Ohio, December 23, 1880." 



P. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, I, 3, &° 5 Bond St., New York. 



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